Template · Staffing agency documents
Job order form
In short
A staffing job order form is the document an agency completes with a client when taking a new order: what role, how many people, which shifts, pay and bill rates, must-have requirements, screening, site and safety details and who approves timesheets. A complete job order is the difference between filling the order in two days and calling the client back three times.
Job Order template
Job Order
Complete with the client contact while taking the order, then send a copy back for confirmation. One job order per position and site. Orders are worked under the [staffing agreement / terms of business] dated [Date].
Order details
- Job order number
- Date and time order received
- Taken by (recruiter / account manager)
- Order type
- TemporaryTemp-to-hireContractDirect hire / permanentEvent or one-day
- Priority
- Urgent: start within 48 hoursStandardPipeline / future need
- Exclusive to our agency?
- YesNo: other agencies working itUnknown
- Reason for need
- Seasonal or volume increaseLeave or absence coverBackfill for a leaverNew positionProjectOther
Client and contacts
- Client company
- Ordering contact name, title, phone, email
- Hiring manager / on-site supervisor (if different)
- Timesheet approver
- Billing contact and PO number
- Who can approve interviews and offers
Position
- Job title
- Number of openings
- Main duties (what the person will actually do in a shift)
- Equipment, software or machinery used
- Physical requirements (lifting, standing, temperature, PPE)
- FLSA status
- Non-exempt (hourly)Exempt (salaried)
- Job description attached
Schedule and duration
- Start date and report time
- Expected end date or length of assignment
- Shift days and hours
- Meal break length and whether paid
- Overtime expected?
- NoOccasionallyRegularly: approx. hours per week
- Who approves overtime
Requirements
- Must-have skills or experience (maximum 5, job-related)
- Nice-to-have skills
- Licenses or certifications required
- Language requirements and level (only if needed for the job)
- Skills tests to run before submittal
- Pre-assignment checks required by the client (background check scope, drug screen panel, E-Verify, other)
- Who pays for checks
- Included in bill rateBilled to client at costBilled per agreement
- Workers previously placed who should not be resubmitted (do-not-return list)
Pay and billing
- Pay rate (or salary range for direct hire)
- Bill rate / markup
- Overtime bill rate
- Shift differential or premiums
- Placement or conversion fee (per agreement)
- Pay range disclosed in job posting (where required by law)
- Benefits offered (direct hire)
Worksite
- Worksite address
- Where to park and which entrance to use
- Who the worker reports to on day one
- Dress code and PPE (who provides it)
- Site safety orientation provided by client
- Yes: length and timingNo: agency to provide
- Public transit access
- YesLimitedNo
Process and confirmation
- Interview process
- No interview: agency selectsPhone or video interviewOn-site interviewWorking interview
- Client feedback commitment (hours or days)
- Agency submittal deadline
- Client contact confirmed details
- Confirmation sent to client (date)
- Order status
- OpenPartially filledFilledOn holdCancelled by clientLost to another supplier
How to use this template
- Take the order live on a call or site visit rather than from a forwarded email, and complete every section while the client is still on the line.
- Push for specifics on duties, physical demands and must-haves; limit must-haves to five that are genuinely job-related.
- Agree pay rate, bill rate and overtime approval before you start sourcing, and check the rate against the market and any client rate card.
- Confirm the screening package and who pays, and note any state or local limits on background or drug testing for the work location.
- Send the completed order back to the client in a confirmation email and ask them to reply with any corrections.
- Work the order against the submittal deadline, update status daily, and close it with a reason when filled, cancelled or lost.
Why the job order decides the outcome
Most unfilled orders were lost at intake. A job order that says 'need 6 warehouse workers Monday' gives the recruiter nothing to search on and nothing to sell to candidates. One that says '6 pickers, 2nd shift 3:00 to 11:30 pm, RF scanner, 40 lb lifts, cold room at 34 F, $19.50 an hour, freezer gear provided, start Monday 2:45 pm at dock door 4' can be filled from the database by Friday.
The agency version differs from an in-house hiring manager intake form because it carries commercial terms (bill rate, fee, PO, exclusivity) and site logistics for people who have never been to the client. It sits under the staffing agreement; the job order sets the specifics for one need, the agreement sets the rules for all of them.
Rates, margin and the realistic pay conversation
Pay rate is the field that most often kills an order. If a client wants forklift operators at $17 an hour in a market paying $21, no amount of sourcing will fix it. Bring local data to the call: what similar sites pay, how many candidates you have at each rate, and what happened last time the rate was too low. Then agree the bill rate from the pay rate, not the other way round.
Worked example: pay $20.00 at a 1.45 markup gives a bill rate of $29.00. If the client insists on $27.00, the effective markup drops to 1.35, and after employer taxes, workers' compensation and benefits the gross margin may be too thin to fund recruiting. Better to agree a lower pay rate for a less experienced profile, or hold the margin, than to take an order you will lose money on.
Requirements that are fair and fillable
Every requirement you record will be used to screen people out, so make each one job-related. 'Must lift 50 lbs repeatedly' is a real job requirement. 'Young and energetic' or 'no accents' is discrimination, and an agency that follows a discriminatory client instruction is liable alongside the client under Title VII and the ADEA. Decline the instruction, explain why, and record that you did.
Watch for requirement inflation too. A high school diploma, two years' experience and a clean driving record for a role that never drives shrinks the pool for no reason. Ask the client which ones they would actually reject a good candidate for. Criminal background and drug testing rules vary by state and city, including fair chance laws and limits on cannabis testing, so record the work location and check what applies.
Common mistakes
- Taking orders by email with half the fields blank, then sourcing on assumptions.
- No agreed feedback time, so your candidates accept other jobs while the client is silent.
- Not asking whether other agencies are on the order. Exclusive orders deserve more effort than a five-agency race.
- Missing site details, so first-day no-shows turn out to be people who could not find the entrance.
- Leaving the order open forever. Track fill rate on closed orders by client; clients with low fill rates usually have a rate or requirements problem you can fix at intake.
Job orders at volume
Large clients send recurring orders: 30 seasonal associates every week from September to December, or a contact center training class of 25 every month. Do not take each as a fresh order. Set up a standing job order with fixed rates and requirements, then confirm headcount and start dates each cycle. Keep all orders in one shared jobs hub so every recruiter sees status and submittals in real time, and send a job order confirmation email within the hour. The order's requirements then become the fit section of each candidate submittal.
Frequently asked questions
What is a job order in staffing?
A job order is a client's request for the agency to fill one or more positions. It records the role, headcount, schedule, requirements, pay and bill rates, screening and site details, and it is the brief the recruiters work from.
What should a client job order include?
Client contacts, order type, job title and openings, real duties, physical demands, schedule and start date, must-have requirements, screening needed, pay rate, bill rate, overtime approval, worksite details, interview process and feedback commitment.
How is a job intake form for staffing different from an in-house intake form?
Both capture the role and requirements. A staffing job order also records commercial terms such as bill rate, markup, fees, PO number and exclusivity, plus site logistics for workers who have never been to the client's location.
Who fills out the job order template?
The agency's recruiter or account manager, ideally live with the client contact. The client then confirms the details in writing.
What is a good fill rate for staffing job orders?
It varies by sector and order quality. Many light industrial and clerical agencies aim for 80 to 90% on orders they accept. Track it by client and by order type rather than as a single number.