For businesses
Direct hire recruiting.
With direct hire, ETS Workforce Solutions finds the person and you hire them onto your own payroll. You pay one placement fee, get a 90-day replacement guarantee, and see a short list of qualified people instead of a stack of resumes.
Start a direct hire search
Plattsburgh and Troy: (518) 562-4673
Williston: (802) 540-1070
What you get
What you get with direct hire.
Direct hire is a permanent placement. The person joins your payroll on day one, and you pay one fee based on their first-year salary.
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On your payroll from day one
You hire the person directly, and they are your employee from their first morning. There is no hourly markup and no contract period.
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A shortlist of three to five people
We screen, interview and check references before you see anyone, so every person on the list can do the job. Most searches come down to three to five candidates.
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Ninety day replacement guarantee
If the person leaves or does not work out within 90 days, we replace them at no additional fee. The guarantee applies to both fee models.
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Forty years of local networks
Many of the people we place are not on job boards. They come from relationships our recruiters have built in these markets over decades.
How it works
How a direct hire search works.
The search has four steps, and one recruiter runs all of them.
Scope the role
We go through the role, the team, the salary range and the skills the person must have. If the salary is off for the market, we tell you before the search starts.
Source and screen
We start with our own network and then search the wider market. We interview and reference-check every person on the list ourselves.
You interview a shortlist
You meet three to five qualified candidates. We handle the scheduling, the feedback and the hard conversations along the way.
Offer, start and follow up
We help with the offer, stay involved through the notice period, and check in through the first 90 days.
What it costs
What direct hire costs.
There are two fee models. A retained search is exclusive and starts at a lower rate. A contingent search is non-exclusive, and you pay nothing until someone starts.
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Retained, from 18%
The retained fee starts at 18% of first-year salary. The search is exclusive to ETS, with one third paid up front and the balance due at agreed milestones.
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Contingent, from 25%
The contingent fee starts at 25% of first-year salary and is due on the hire date. The search is non-exclusive and you pay nothing if we do not place anyone.
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Ninety day guarantee on both
Both models carry the same 90 day free replacement guarantee. If the hire does not work out in that time, we run the search again.
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FlexDirect if cash flow is tight
If the up-front fee is what is holding back the hire, FlexDirect spreads the cost over 3 to 18 months with no markup and no conversion fee.
Questions
Direct hire questions, answered.
The questions we hear most about direct hire. Call us at (518) 562-4673 for anything else.
How much does direct hire cost?
Retained searches start at 18% of the first-year salary, with one third paid up front and the balance at agreed milestones. Contingent searches start at 25% of the first-year salary, due on the hire date. Both include a 90 day free replacement guarantee.
What is the difference between retained and contingent?
A retained search is exclusive to ETS and you commit part of the fee up front, which is why the rate is lower. A contingent search is non-exclusive and you pay nothing until someone starts.
What happens if the hire is not a good fit?
If the person leaves or does not work out within 90 days of starting, we replace them at no additional fee. That guarantee applies to both the retained and the contingent model.
How long does a direct hire search take?
It depends on the role. Professional and admin searches often produce a shortlist within two weeks. Engineering, executive and hard-to-find technical roles take longer, and we give you a realistic timeline before we start.
Do I pay anything if ETS does not find someone?
On a contingent search, no. You pay nothing unless we place someone who starts. On a retained search, one third of the fee is paid up front to open the search.
Can I spread the fee over time?
Yes. FlexDirect lets you pay for a direct hire monthly over 3, 6, 9, 12 or 18 months. The employee is on your payroll from day one, there is no markup and no conversion fee.
Ready to make a permanent hire?
Tell us the role and the salary range. We will show you what the market looks like before you commit to anything.