My Trade Talent vs Retained Search.
An honest comparison of the flat-rate pipeline model and traditional retained executive search. Both can work - the question is whether your hiring pattern is one rare search or a recurring need.
Retained search firms charge 25–35%+ of first-year salary, typically billed in installments starting at kickoff - you pay whether or not the search succeeds on the first try, in exchange for one recruiter's exclusive, deep attention on a single hard-to-fill role. We charge a flat monthly fee with no exclusivity requirement and no installment paid before you have a real hire in front of you. Retained search earns its fee on rare, senior searches; our model earns its keep the moment hiring becomes recurring.
The comparison, row by row.
| Retained Search | My Trade Talent | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | 25–35%+ of first-year salary, billed in installments | Flat monthly fee, same every month |
| When you pay | Typically one-third at kickoff, one-third at milestone, one-third at placement - regardless of outcome | Monthly, only for the months you are actively hiring |
| Typical cost of one $130K superintendent hire | $32,500–$45,500+ in fees, paid across the search | ~$4,000–$12,000/mo with unlimited hires from submittals |
| Exclusivity | Usually required - one firm, one search, no parallel recruiters | No exclusivity required; run us alongside anything else you are doing |
| Risk if the search stalls | You have already paid installments with no guaranteed hire | You pay for the month; the pipeline keeps working the next one |
| Best fit | A single senior, hard-to-replace executive hire where deep, exclusive attention justifies the fee | Recurring hiring across one or more commercial trades |
| Candidate depth | One recruiter, deep on one search at a time | A team with daily reps across every commercial trade |
| Replacement guarantee | Common (90-180 days), but the upfront installments are usually non-refundable | Pipeline continues - your fee covers the next round automatically |
When each model fits.
Retained search is not a bad model - it is built for a specific situation: one rare, senior hire where exclusive focus matters more than speed or cost. Ours is built for the recurring need most commercial trades firms actually have.
When retained search fits
- You are filling one senior executive role, once, where the search itself needs deep exclusive focus
- The role is rare enough that a broad, ongoing pipeline would not move the needle
- You have the budget to pay in installments regardless of whether the search succeeds on the first attempt
When My Trade Talent fits
- You hire more than one role per quarter across the commercial trades - superintendents, PMs, foremen, technicians
- You want to pay only while you are actively hiring, not installments tied to search milestones
- You want the option to run other sourcing in parallel without an exclusivity requirement
- Your leadership team wants predictable monthly recruiting spend instead of installment payments with no guaranteed outcome
The math at three hires per quarter.
For a firm making 12 hires per year at an average $90K salary, priced at retained search's typical 30% fee:
Numbers above use industry-standard retained-search fee ranges and list pricing for My Trade Talent. Retained search makes the most sense at low hire volume for a single senior role - the math above is for firms hiring recurringly, which is a different situation than the one retained search is built for.
Run the math against your real volume.
Tell us how many hires you make per quarter and the typical role salaries. We'll show you the side-by-side against your current model in 30 minutes.