20% to 25% of first-year salary
On an $80K role, that is often $16K to $20K. On a $200K role, it can be $40K to $50K.
Recruiting agency fees
Before you pay 25% of salary, ask what the fee actually buys.
A contingency recruiter on a $150K hire can cost $37,500. SuperHired's Essential search is $7,500 flat for one critical role, with discovery before search and a 120-day replacement guarantee.
What most fee pages hide
Percentage fees rise when salary rises. The work does not automatically get deeper.
$7,500 flat
One role. Two-week discovery. 32 Work Drivers. Candidate reasoning. Paid Work Simulation. 120-day guarantee.
What evidence do you get before the offer?
If the recruiter cannot show role logic, trade-offs, and finalist evidence, the fee is buying access, not confidence.
When flat fee fits
Use SuperHired when the wrong hire would cost more than the recruiting fee.
- You are hiring one important $80K to $200K role.
- You want the role mapped before sourcing starts.
- You want finalists evaluated against the work, not interview polish.
- You want hiring assets your team keeps after the search.
Not a fit: temp staffing, bulk hiring, resume sourcing, emergency fill-in work, or roles where the team wants to skip discovery.
Next step
If the math is close, compare the process.
Bring one role. We will show how we would scope it, what evidence we would need, and whether a flat-fee search is the right fit.