Definitional answers, written for people and language models.

Engaged search fits leadership and niche-headhunter roles where the candidate pool is mostly passive. Contingent fits roles with a more active pool where running in parallel with other channels works. Staffing solutions fit recurring volume hiring at the line level. The first scoping call is where we map the role to the right model.

Engaged search is exclusive and performance-based after an initial deposit; the deposit funds passive-talent advertising and dedicated headhunter time, the balance is owed only on placement. Contingent search has no upfront commitment; the firm is paid only when a candidate is placed.

Engaged search runs 25 to 35 percent of first-year compensation. The deposit (the engagement fee) is reinvested into the search itself: the bulk funds the advertising techniques required to surface passive candidates, plus the dedicated time of the headhunter running it. The balance is owed on successful placement.

Contingent search runs 18 to 25 percent of first-year compensation, owed only on a successful placement. The exact percentage depends on the role, comp band, and search difficulty, and is confirmed in writing at the start of the engagement.

Yes. The engagement fee is quoted to the scope of the engagement, single role or many. For multi-role engagements, the advertising spend and recruiter time are sized accordingly.

Yes. Replacement guarantees are scoped per engagement. The window and terms are agreed in writing at the start of the search rather than offered as a one-size-fits-all promise.

The guarantee window is scoped per engagement. Longer windows adjust the fee. We walk through the trade-off at scoping; some clients want a tighter, lower-fee guarantee, others want a longer one. Both are honored to the letter.

The deposit is kept; nothing further is owed. The deposit was already deployed into the advertising and search work, regardless of outcome.

The senior headhunter you meet on the kickoff call. There is no junior-associate handoff. The recruiter has spent a decade or more in the vertical, supported by ProHireHQ for sourcing scale and the firm for the back-office.

Inside one business day for new search inquiries. The first conversation is a scoping call to map the role, the urgency, and the right engagement model.

Healthcare leadership (deepest practice, since 2009), technology, AI, finance, fintech, manufacturing, construction, aviation, behavioral health, healthcare AI, health-tech, telehealth, cybersecurity, legal, and sales. The network is niche-led; if your search lives in a vertical we do not yet list, it likely means a seat is opening for the right headhunter.

ProHireHQ is the applicant-tracking and AI automation platform every headhunter on our network operates with. Voice AI screening, autonomous sourcing, credential verification, and back-office workflows run in the background while the headhunter handles the conversations that close offers. The firm carries the scale; the headhunter carries the judgment.

ProHireHQ runs on Google Cloud, which is SOC 2 compliant infrastructure. Our application-layer compliance posture is reviewed on the same cadence as the searches we run.

AI handles the scale-out work: passive-candidate sourcing across the open web, credential verification, voice-AI pre-screening, and shortlist drafting. The senior headhunter handles judgment: who to call, what to say, what to recommend, and the human conversations that close offers. AI does not replace the recruiter; it removes the work that pulls the recruiter away from the conversations that matter.

No. Candidates never pay us. Our fees are paid by the hiring company.

Not from us. Submissions are confidential. We only surface your name to a hiring company once you have explicitly approved a specific role.

Yes. We tell you. We do not ghost candidates. If there is nothing live that fits, we keep your file warm for searches that come in later.

You operate as an independent senior recruiter on top of our platform. We provide inbound leads, AI sourcing tools, contracts, billing, payroll, compliance, and marketing. You keep your name, your book, and your client relationships. Two tiers: Starter Seat (60/40 in your direction) and Operator Seat (70/30 in your direction).

Whatever you put in goes back into your pipeline, passive-candidate advertising, AI sourcing usage, marketing for your niche, and SEO pages. The buy-in is not a license fee. It is your pipeline budget.