What is full desk recruiting? The 360 agency model, explained
On this page
- What does a full desk recruiter actually do?
- Full desk vs. split desk vs. other desk models
- Is full desk the same as full-cycle recruiting?
- How is a full desk recruiter paid?
- What are the advantages and drawbacks of a full desk?
- What does a full desk week look like?
- Who is full desk recruiting right for?
- How to tell what a "full desk" job advertisement means
- Questions people ask
Full desk recruiting is an agency model in which one recruiter handles both sides of a placement: winning clients and job orders (business development and account management) and finding, screening, submitting and closing the candidates for those jobs. It is also called a 360 desk or full cycle agency recruiting. The alternative is a split desk, where an account manager owns the client and a recruiter fills the order, and credit for each placement is shared between them.
This page defines the model and compares it with the alternatives. How to run a full desk week to week, including a time-block template and how many requisitions a desk can carry, is in how to build a recruiting desk.
What does a full desk recruiter actually do?
Every placement has a client side and a candidate side. On a full desk, the same person does both:
| Side | Tasks | What it produces |
|---|---|---|
| Client side (business development) | Prospecting, first meetings, fee negotiation, signed terms | New clients |
| Client side (account management) | Intake calls, job order qualification, feedback chasing, offer management, repeat business | Job orders worth working |
| Candidate side (sourcing) | Searches, outreach, referrals, database mining | A long list |
| Candidate side (screening and submittal) | Screening calls, right-to-represent, submittals | Interviews booked |
| Closing | Interview preparation, debriefs, offer, counteroffer, resignation, start | Placements and fees |
The model applies to both main agency businesses. The American Staffing Association distinguishes search and placement, finding candidates for clients' permanent jobs, from temporary help, where the firm employs and assigns its own workers. A full desk in direct hire earns placement fees; a full desk in contract staffing also manages the worker through the assignment.
Full desk vs. split desk vs. other desk models
| Model | Who owns the client | Who fills the job | How credit is usually split |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full desk (360) | The recruiter | The same recruiter | All to one person, unless another recruiter supplied the candidate |
| Split desk | An account manager or business developer | A recruiter | Shared between the two under the agency's rules |
| Recruiter-only desk (candidate side) | Someone else | The recruiter | The recruiter's share of each fill |
| Sourcer or researcher | Someone else | Supplies names to the recruiter | Often salaried or paid per milestone, by agency policy |
"Split" causes confusion because it has two meanings in recruiting. Inside one agency, a split desk divides the client and candidate roles. Between agencies, a split placement or split fee is a deal in which one firm has the job order and another supplies the candidate, and the two firms share the fee. A full desk recruiter can still do split placements with other firms.
Is full desk the same as full-cycle recruiting?
Close, but not the same. In-house teams use "full-cycle recruiter" for someone who runs every hiring step for their own employer: intake with the hiring manager, sourcing, screening, coordinating interviews and managing the offer. An in-house recruiter does not have to find the employer or sell a fee; the job orders arrive from their own company. Full desk adds that sales side. If a job advertisement says "full desk" or "360," expect a target for new clients or new job orders, not just placements.
How is a full desk recruiter paid?
Agency pay plans differ, so there is no standard formula, but they are usually built from the same parts:
- A base salary or a draw against future commission.
- Commission on the fees, or on the gross margin from contractors, that the recruiter is credited with, often after a threshold that covers the base.
- Credit rules that decide who gets what share of a placement when more than one person touched it: the client owner, the candidate owner, and any other recruiter who supplied the candidate.
The practical difference between desk models is the credit rule, not the commission rate. On a full desk, a placement where you won the client and found the candidate is credited entirely to you. On a split desk, the same fee is divided between the client owner and the recruiter.
Example (invented figures, to show the mechanics only): a placement produces a $20,000 fee.
Full desk: one recruiter is credited with $20,000 toward their commission plan.
Split desk with a 50/50 rule: the account manager is credited with $10,000 and the recruiter with $10,000, each under their own plan.
The agency's cost and the client's fee are the same either way; only the credit moves.
Before accepting an agency role, ask for the written commission plan and the credit rules, including what happens to your clients and pipeline if you leave. Non-solicitation clauses for recruiters covers the post-employment side.
What are the advantages and drawbacks of a full desk?
| Advantages | Drawbacks | |
|---|---|---|
| For the recruiter | Full credit for placements; a client book you build yourself; direct contact with hiring managers | Two jobs at once; income depends on both sales and delivery; quiet business development weeks show up months later |
| For the agency | Clear ownership; fewer hand-offs; works well in niche markets | Recruiters can neglect business development when busy, or neglect delivery when selling; client relationships leave with the recruiter |
| For the client | One contact who heard the brief first-hand and screened every candidate | Capacity is one person's; a busy desk can slow down |
Split desks tend to fit high-volume work, such as light industrial or clerical temp staffing, where a salesperson can open many accounts and several recruiters fill the orders. Full desks tend to fit niche permanent and contract work, where knowing both the market and the candidates is the product. Many agencies mix the two.
What does a full desk week look like?
The hard part of a full desk is protecting business development time while candidates and clients demand attention. A typical week has fixed blocks for:
- Prospecting calls and follow-ups to new and lapsed clients.
- Intake calls on new job orders, with a clear brief before any sourcing starts; see intake meeting questions.
- Sourcing and screening for the orders most likely to fill.
- Submittals, interview preparation and debriefs.
- Offer and start management for candidates close to the finish.
Desks get into trouble when one side crowds out the other for weeks. The time-block template and requisition ceiling in how to build a recruiting desk are built for exactly this, and recruiting agency metrics shows which numbers reveal an unbalanced desk early, such as a falling count of new job orders while placements still look healthy.
Who is full desk recruiting right for?
- Good fit: recruiters who like owning outcomes, are comfortable asking for business, and want their income tied to a book of clients they built.
- Harder fit: people new to recruiting with no sales experience, or recruiters who prefer depth in candidate work. Many agencies start new hires on delivery and add business development later; see how to onboard a new recruiter.
- Agency owners starting out are almost always on a full desk by default, since there is no one else to split with; how to get new recruiting clients covers the client side.
How to tell what a "full desk" job advertisement means
Agencies use the label loosely. Ask these before accepting an offer:
- What share of my week is expected to go to new business, and is there a target for new clients or job orders?
- Do I inherit existing clients, or start from nothing?
- Who owns a client I win if another recruiter later fills its jobs?
- How is credit split when I fill another recruiter's job order?
- Is the market permanent placement, contract staffing or both?
- What happens to my draw if I have a slow quarter?
Questions people ask
What is a full desk recruiter?
A full desk recruiter is an agency recruiter who handles both sides of a placement: winning clients and job orders, and finding, screening, submitting and closing the candidates for those jobs. The terms full desk, 360 desk and full cycle agency recruiting are used for the same model.
What is the difference between a full desk and a split desk?
On a full desk one person owns the client relationship and the candidate work. On a split desk the work is divided: an account manager or business developer wins and manages clients, and a recruiter fills the orders. Credit for each placement is then shared between them under the agency's own rules.
Is full desk recruiting the same as full-cycle recruiting?
Not quite. Full-cycle recruiting usually describes an in-house recruiter who runs every step of hiring for their own employer, from intake to offer. Full desk is an agency term that adds business development: the recruiter also has to win the clients and the job orders.
Is a full desk recruiting job good for beginners?
It can be, but it is harder. A new full desk recruiter has to learn sales and delivery at the same time, and income on a commission plan depends on both. Many agencies start new hires on the delivery side and add business development once they can fill orders reliably.