Choose the right model
How we compare.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
This is what we do all day: recruit technology and IT professionals.
Different hiring problems call for different arrangements. Here is what each model does.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What happens next
- Do I pay upfront?
- No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
- Must I give you exclusivity?
- We do not promise or require exclusivity here. Any terms are in the recruiting agreement we refer you to.
- Will you reveal my company?
- Not without your explicit consent before we disclose anything.
- What if I do not hire?
- No hire, no fee.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Technology only
- We reach engineers who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
| Service and examples | How people are found | Who it can reach | Commercial model and fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive search: Korn Ferry and Egon Zehnder | Korn Ferry describes target-company research, networks and direct contact. Egon Zehnder describes a search built around the client's industry, company and leadership need. | Leadership candidates, including people not actively applying. | Executive search is commonly retained. Confirm the actual engagement and terms with the provider. It can fit a board or senior leadership search. |
| Permanent placement: Robert Half and Michael Page | Robert Half describes specialized recruiters and its professional network. Michael Page describes research, networks, referrals and advertising. | Permanent-hire candidates reached through several channels, not just job applicants. | These are permanent recruiting services. Their proposals determine the fee and payment terms. They are not the same service as temporary staffing. |
| Temporary and contract staffing, general model | Methods vary and may include databases, advertising, referrals and direct outreach. | People available for a defined assignment, including experienced contractors. | Assignment terms and responsibility for the worker must be agreed with the provider. This can fit temporary cover. No particular firm's terms are asserted here. |
| Job boards, general model | Publish the opening so people can apply. | Primarily people who see the advertisement and choose to respond. | The employer manages screening and hiring. It can fit an opening that attracts qualified applicants. |
| Technology Headhunters | Calibrate the role, research the relevant market and personally approach working technology professionals. Qualify interest and fit before a written shortlist. | Technology and IT candidates, including those not applying to postings. | Permanent placement on contingency is our default. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement. |
Choose the model before the firm
A hiring problem is not always a search problem. You may need permanent ownership of a system, cover while somebody is away, or help choosing an executive who will change the direction of the company. Start with that distinction. The model determines what work the provider takes on and what your own team still needs to do.
The names below are examples of established firms in broad categories. Many offer more than one service. A staffing business can run a permanent search. An executive search firm can offer assessment or other advisory work. This table is not a review of any named firm's performance, and it does not describe a particular proposal you might receive from them.
Retained executive search
Retained executive search normally starts with a paid engagement to conduct a defined search. The work can include agreeing the leadership brief with stakeholders, mapping the market and assessing possible candidates. It is commonly used for senior leadership or board appointments where the search itself is a substantial assignment.
That model may fit when your board wants a formal process with a search partner engaged from the start. Ask what is included, who will work on the assignment and how the engagement is structured. The written proposal is what matters. We do not quote another firm's fees or suggest that every retained engagement uses the same terms.
Staffing and temporary recruitment
Staffing agencies can recruit for temporary cover, contract work and permanent jobs. Candidate databases and advertised vacancies can be part of the process, alongside recruiter outreach. The mix depends on the provider and assignment. It would be wrong to assume that everyone a large agency introduces is actively applying.
This route can suit an employer who needs cover or an ongoing staffing service rather than a single permanent search. Ask who is responsible for each part of the arrangement and what happens if the need changes. Temporary and permanent services have different commercial terms. Read the terms for the service you are actually buying, not an assumption about the firm's name.
Job boards
A job board puts a vacancy in front of people using that platform. It can be a sensible option when the job attracts relevant applicants and your team can review them. The platform may provide search or filtering features, but your hiring team still has to establish whether the people who respond can do the work.
Advertising is not the same as approaching someone who has not decided to apply. If your vacancy has been open and the applicants do not match the responsibility, another advertisement may not address the problem. Check the brief first. An unclear location policy or a job that combines unrelated responsibilities can hurt an advertised vacancy as well as a search.
Specialist contingency headhunting
Our core service is permanent technology recruitment on contingency. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We agree the work with you, identify people whose background fits and contact them individually. We speak with candidates before introducing them and give you a written brief, including what still needs checking.
This fits when you want to hire a technology professional into your business and need help reaching beyond the people who apply. It does not remove your responsibility to interview or decide. You know the team and the work better than we do. Our job is to make the shortlist relevant and the remaining questions clear.
Contract, contract-to-hire and project crews are available on request, with terms agreed for the engagement. We will tell you if a provider built around contract staffing is a better fit. A permanent contingency search is the default here, not a claim that our model suits every hiring problem.
Questions worth asking any provider
Ask how the provider will establish technical fit before you spend time interviewing. For a service desk, that might mean hearing how someone handles an account-access call. For a backend engineer, it might mean a production incident walkthrough. A description of sourcing alone does not tell you how someone will check the work.
Ask what you receive before an interview and how unresolved questions are recorded. Ask how confidentiality is handled if you are replacing an incumbent. Discuss ownership of candidate introductions and payment terms before a search begins. Those questions are useful whichever model you choose, and the answers belong in the agreement.
If you want to talk through a technology hire, send the role below. You do not need a finished job description. Tell us what is not getting done and who the person will work with. We will review the request and tell you whether a search with us is the right next step.
Company names are trademarks of their owners. We are not affiliated with them.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What happens next
- Do I pay upfront?
- No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
- Must I give you exclusivity?
- We do not promise or require exclusivity here. Any terms are in the recruiting agreement we refer you to.
- Will you reveal my company?
- Not without your explicit consent before we disclose anything.
- What if I do not hire?
- No hire, no fee.
How a search runs
The Six-Step Search
- 1Search Calibration
A call about the work. You get a written search profile.
- 2Market Mapping
We identify the employer backgrounds that fit. You see where we will look.
- 3Professional Contact Intelligence
We identify individual people, not job board applicants.
- 4Persistent Personalized Outreach
Personal outreach and direct follow-through. You get search updates.
- 5Live Candidate Qualification
A recruiter checks stack, scope and motivation in conversation.
- 6Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You receive a written brief on every person you meet.
Questions about this recruiting comparison
Is retained executive search the same as contingency recruiting?
No. They are different engagement models. This comparison describes when each can fit, without ranking individual firms or claiming a particular firm's fees or results.
Can a staffing agency also make a permanent placement?
Some staffing businesses offer permanent placement as well as temporary staffing. Compare the proposed engagement itself, rather than assuming that a company's label tells you every service it provides.
Where can I read the recruiting-model comparison in more detail?
The technology recruiting agency versus staffing agency guide also covers RPO and hiring in-house. Use it to compare the kind of work you want an outside firm to do.
Primary sources for the named services
Reviewed October 13, 2026. These sources describe each firm's own services. We do not assert its fees, guarantees, quality or results.
Working with Technology Headhunters
How long does it take to see a short list?
We first need to agree the opening and qualify people against it. Availability and the interview requirements affect the search; we do not promise a fixed deadline before reviewing the work.
What happens if a candidate receives a counteroffer?
We discuss the reason for considering a move before you invest in interviews. A counteroffer can change the decision, so we revisit that reason rather than assume more pay will settle it.
What are the replacement terms?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What don't you do in a permanent search?
We do not bill by the hour for permanent search or charge a retainer unless one is agreed. We do not treat reposting your job advertisement as headhunting.