Employer FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions from our Clients

What is your pricing structure?

For permanent search roles, HireBetter generally works on a “retained search” model, which means you would retain us to conduct a search much like you would contract and pay for most other professional services. We can, however, provide custom pricing solutions that fit your needs and budget. We believe that a retained model is desirable, as it better aligns the goals of clients, candidates, and the recruiting firm. You, as the client should expect to see a slate of the very best candidates for your role, not just whomever happens to be available at that particular time. Under the retained model, you pay a portion of the expected fee upon engagement, a portion at an agreed upon checkpoint, and the remainder of the fee upon hire.

For interim, project-based or consulting roles, our pricing structures can be based on hourly, daily, weekly or monthly billing models.

How much does it cost?

Permanent search fees are usually based on a percentage of the placed candidate’s expected first-year compensation; however we can provide custom solutions that fit your needs and budget. We will be able to accurately price each search once we “scope” the role. Our unique scoping process will give you a deeper understanding of what you need and will provide some “aha” moments – and it provides us with enough information about the company and the role to understand the challenges inherent in the search and allows us to accurately price the search.

Fees for interim, project-based or consulting roles are based simply on a cost-plus model and are dependent on the market-rate compensation of the resource.

What’s your guarantee?

If a candidate is terminated as a result of an inability to meet the standards of the position within the agreed-upon timeframe, HireBetter will recruit for a replacement candidate at no additional charge.

What kinds of roles do you work on?

HireBetter’s niche is entrepreneurial, growth-minded, middle market companies. Our expertise is in those roles that are core across industries: Operations & HR, Finance & Accounting and Sales & Marketing. Our #1 role is what you might think of as the number 2, the Integrator or strong operator to the CEO. However, we have successfully placed hundreds of executive-level hires, including: CEOs, Presidents, CXOs, and VP-level positions.

What industries and geographies do you work in?

HireBetter is a Strategic Talent Partner for entrepreneurial, growth-minded, middle-market companies with clients across the domestic United States. We are industry agnostic, focusing instead on the stage of growth. Having said that, we have developed areas of expertise in the following industries: consumer packaged goods, financial services, technology, private equity, energy, and manufacturing.

What’s your history / experience with these roles?

Chances are… we’ve successfully completed one of these searches recently. Over the past 10 years we have placed hundreds of game changing candidates with very happy clients, as evidenced by our NPS score of 86. We would love the opportunity to learn more about your needs and then provide you with relevant examples of similar searches, including case studies and client references.

Do you do contract work?

Yes, as your Strategic Talent Partner, oftentimes the need is short-term or fractional. Our Interim Solutions team will conduct an in-depth scoping exercise with you to more deeply understand your goals and your needs, then will identify and recruit the right consultant for your needs, no matter when or where! We’ve helped clients all across Texas and as far away as Los Angeles and New York and as remote as Tishomingo, Oklahoma and Pasco, Washington.

How long will the search take?

The real answer is that this depends on a number of factors that we will uncover in our scoping discussions, but we can give you a general idea. Executive-level searches generally are completed in 60 to 90 days and non Executive-level searches are completed in approximately 30 to 60 days. Project-based or interim consultants can usually be identified within a week to 10 days. Please know that the following factors (among others) can increase or decrease the length of your search: your team’s cooperation and responsiveness, the uniqueness of the role (are you looking for a unicorn?), the remoteness of the role (is it based in Tishomingo?), seasonality (are you trying to make this hire over the Christmas holiday?), your company’s track record and trajectory, and if the role requires relocation.

As of October 1, 2020, our average days to fill are 87 days for Executive-level searches and 46 days for non Executive-level searches.

What if you don’t find anybody?

We’re confident that, working together, we will identify the ideal fit for your company. And our track record with entrepreneurial companies is rock solid. But for those very rare situations where something does go wrong, we want you to know your bases are covered. If you decide to cancel the search, our agreement has provisions that allows you to cancel and give you peace of mind..

What if the placed candidate doesn’t work out?

Our Placement Guarantee means you have nothing to worry about. If an Executive-level candidate (Vice President, Executive Vice President, C-level candidate or Board Member) is terminated as a result of an inability to meet the standards of the position within six months of placement, HireBetter will recruit for a replacement candidate at no additional charge. If a non-Executive-level candidate is terminated as a result of an inability to meet the standards of the position within three months of placement, HireBetter will recruit for a replacement candidate at no additional charge.

What does retained search mean?

A retained recruiter’s interest is creating a lasting partnership with you and between you and your new hire in order to grow your business. A retained relationship means we can take the time to dig deeper, go below the surface to learn the ins and outs of your business and your industry, understand your needs and wants, and get a good grasp of what will truly help your business thrive. The retained recruiting model allows the recruiter to devote time and energy to finding the absolute best talent, especially stellar candidates who aren’t actively looking for a new job! We believe the “traditional” (contingent) recruiting model is fundamentally broken and we’ve written extensively on the topic, including this e-book: The Recruiting Industry is Broken.

What does the process / timeline look like?

Once we have mutually agreed to partner and kicked off a search, we will schedule and conduct a calibration discussion within the first week .  

The purpose of this discussion is to ensure that our recruiting team is aligned with your vision for the role.  We will present you with profiles of candidates — but candidates who have not yet been contacted, vetted or screened. We discuss their backgrounds with you in order to more accurately conduct our search. 

Typically,  our clients see the first round of candidates within 3 weeks. Then over the next few  weeks clients will conduct 2 to 3 rounds of interviews with some of those candidates and others we have added to the mix. HireBetter does all of the heavy lifting, scheduling all of the interviews with both the company and the candidates and prepping and debriefing with all parties.

Once a  final candidate is identified HireBetter will assist in the negotiation and present the offer letter to the candidate. We will conduct a complete reference check as well as a complete background check upon request. But our job is not finished upon placement. Because we are your long-term Strategic Talent Partner, we support you in onboarding and conduct Quarterly Business Reviews and periodic check ins to ensure alignment.

How quickly will I see candidates and how many?

Our clients will typically see their first round of vetted candidates within 3 weeks of kick-off. Our goal is not to inundate you with high volumes candidates. Our goal is to do such a great job of identifying, recruiting, and screening candidates, that you ultimately end up with 5 to 8 stellar candidates from whom to select from.

Can we still work on the search internally?

HireBetter is your Strategic Talent Partner and we are here to manage a full and exhaustive search process so you don’t have to. We are not incentivized to sell you on one of our candidates, so we are not in competition with you. Our process includes all internal candidates and all internally sourced candidates. Our process ensures you make a great hire, no matter where they come from.

What does Strategic Talent Partner mean?

It means we partner with you from hire to fire or retire. Conducting a search is just part of building an amazing team. Our clients love our award winning Strategic Talent Planning sessions, and they appreciate our scoping exercises and our ability to truly understand their businesses and the nuances of the structure and capabilities of their existing team. We help you Onboard and integrate your new key hires and we work with the best and brightest organizations to provide coaching to your and / or members of your team. We have partnered with Predictive Index to help you more deeply understand the heart and soul of your employees and we even help you think through and execute on those tough decisions that every entrepreneur and CEO has to make from time to time.

Why are you exclusive only?

We are entrepreneurs too and we’ve been in your shoes. We know we can’t help you build a next-level team if we are in competition with you — our client. Exclusivity allows us to be your Strategic Talent Partner and not have to compete on speed or salesmanship like most recruiters in the “traditional” (contingent) recruiting world.

What makes you stand out from other retained search firms?

We have a unique niche. We focus exclusively on entrepreneurial, growth-minded, middle market companies. No one else does. You guys are too much of a pain in the ass for most retained search firms to work with. But we are entrepreneurs too and have been in your shoes. We may not know your story yet but we’ve seen 100s of very similar stories that have provided us with the ability to help you see around the corner and avoid some classic mistakes made by most entrepreneurs and CEOs.

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