Phone prospecting for a recruitment agency:
method, script and rules

Phone prospecting for a recruitment agency works when the call starts from a real need: a published ad, a role that is hard to fill. Prepare the call (the ad, the history in your CRM, the profile to offer), ask for the decision-maker by job title, present a candidate in a minute, then record the next step the same day.

This article details each step, offers a four-part script and sets out the rules of the CNIL, the French data protection authority, for calling a professional.

Article checked on 11 November 2026. The rules quoted are those of the CNIL on telephone prospecting.

Why the phone is still the agency's channel

The phone does what email and LinkedIn do badly: qualify a need in a few questions, hear an objection and answer it, get a meeting in the same conversation. For an agency, it is also the channel where the consultant's expertise comes through best, because they talk about the role in the words of the trade.

The phone has a cost: each call takes time, and many go nowhere. It therefore works best on a short, prepared list: the companies hiring in your specialism. That is the principle of adchase: start from the published ad to offer a candidate.

Prepare the call

A prospecting call takes five minutes to prepare, and those five minutes make the difference between a conversation and a polite no. The aim is to know, before dialling, why this company, why now, who to speak to and which candidate to offer.

• The ad. Job title, location, skills required, publication date, any repost.
• The history. In your CRM: is the company a client, is a process under way, has a colleague already called?
• The decision-maker. Their name and job title, found on LinkedIn or the company website.
• The profile. A real candidate who has agreed to be put forward, described in three points without naming them.
• The goal. A meeting, sending the profile, or the name of the right person.

To find the companies to call, see our article on companies that are hiring.

Get past the switchboard

The switchboard or the assistant filters sales calls. They let through a call about a hire in progress more readily than a sales approach. Introduce yourself plainly, ask for the person by job title and quote the ad: you are calling about a role the company published itself.

If the person is out, do not leave a voicemail detailing your services. Ask for their email address and the best time to call back, then write them down.

A four-part script

The script is not read out: it is an outline that makes sure the four useful elements come across in the first minute. The reason for the call, a question about the need, a concrete profile, a proposal that calls for a yes or a no. The rest of the conversation follows the hiring manager's answers.

1. The reason. "Hello Mr Durand, Claire Petit from [agency name]. I am calling about your ad for a maintenance manager in Lyon."
2. The question. "Where are you with this hire?"
3. The profile. "I am in touch with a maintenance manager with ten years' experience in food processing who wants to move closer to Lyon."
4. The proposal. "Shall I send you her detailed profile today, and we talk again on Thursday?"

The most common objections ("we hire directly", "we already work with an agency", "it's too expensive") are prepared in advance; see how to handle client objections. On price, see how to set your fees.

After the call

A call is only worth what follows it. Record the outcome in your CRM the same day, send what you promised within the hour, and set the next step with a date. A call with no record is a call your colleague will make again next week, to a hiring manager who will remember.

• A yes: send the profile, suggest a date to talk, then your terms.
• A "not now": record the reason and a call-back date, often when the ad disappears or reappears.
• A no: thank them and record the reason. If the person refuses further contact, that request applies to the whole agency.

The rules for calling a professional in France

Calling a professional to offer a candidate is business-to-business prospecting. The CNIL allows it without prior consent, based on the agency's legitimate interest, provided the call relates to the person's job. The hiring manager must be told how their number is used and be able to object easily.

The prior consent required for telephone canvassing since 11 August 2026 applies to private individuals. For professionals, the CNIL states that they "can object to it". In practice:

• introduce yourself and name your agency at the start of the call;
• call work numbers, about a subject related to the person's job;
• record any objection and respect it across all your channels;
• only mention a candidate's name with their agreement.

In Marvin

Marvin links the call list, the call and its record. Job ad monitoring, Radar, in beta and included in the Suite plan, spots the companies hiring in your market every morning and flags those you already have a process under way with. It suggests the type of contact for the role.

• Calls. If your agency uses Aircall, each completed call is logged on the contact's record, with its recording and its transcript when Aircall produces one. A call with a number that matches no record is not logged in Marvin.
• Reminders. A sequence can include a call step: Marvin then creates a reminder for the consultant who enrolled the contact, and the sequence continues with its LinkedIn, email or WhatsApp steps.
• History. Exchanges stay on the company and contact records, visible to your colleagues.

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