What Is Exclusive Job Order?
An exclusive job order is a client's open role committed to a single staffing or recruiting firm for a set period, with no other agency working the same requisition, in contrast to a shared or non-exclusive job order, which a client opens to multiple competing firms at the same time, with the fee going only to whichever firm's candidate is ultimately hired.
Pay per booked meeting. No retainer.
An exclusive job order is a client's open role committed to a single staffing or recruiting firm for a set period, with no other agency working the same requisition, in contrast to a shared or non-exclusive job order, which a client opens to multiple competing firms at the same time, with the fee going only to whichever firm's candidate is ultimately hired.
Exclusive Job Order explained
Exclusivity changes the whole economics of working an order, not just the odds of winning it. A firm working an exclusive order can invest real time in sourcing and vetting without the constant pressure of a competing firm submitting a candidate first, since the client has committed to giving that one firm the search.
A shared, non-exclusive order flips that pressure back on. Multiple firms, sometimes without knowing how many others are also working the same requisition, race to submit a strong candidate, and speed becomes a real competitive factor since the client owes nothing to any firm until one of them lands the hire, the same dynamic that shapes contingency recruitment generally.
Getting an exclusive order is often a function of relationship and track record with a specific client, not something a new agency contact can expect on a first job order. A client running a VMS/MSP program may reserve exclusive orders for its Tier 1 vendors while shared orders flow down to whoever else is on the preferred vendor list.
Why it matters when you're buying
Ask directly whether a job order is exclusive or shared before deciding how much sourcing effort it is worth. A shared order competing against several other firms changes both the urgency and the amount of time worth investing before you know whether the fee is reachable at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an exclusive job order in staffing?
What's the difference between an exclusive and a non-exclusive job order?
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