Hiring · HR glossary

Contingency Search

Contingency search is recruitment in which an agency is generally paid when a candidate it introduces is successfully hired under the agreement. It differs from an upfront retained-search model.

By SmallHRTools · How we write definitions

Example

An agency introduces a candidate who accepts and starts a role, triggering the agreed placement fee according to the contract.

What to keep in mind

Define candidate ownership, duplicate introductions, payment triggers and refund terms. Multiple agencies can create confusion if responsibilities and candidate communication are not coordinated.

Further reading

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