No database CVs. Here is what actually happens.
If you have used agencies before, you have had the experience: forty profiles in an afternoon, none of whom have been spoken to, half of whom are not looking. That is keyword recruiting, and it wastes the one thing you cannot get back — your team's time.
This is what we do instead, on every mandate.
We read the brief before we source
A role is not a job title. Before anything is sourced we agree what the person must have done before, what can be trained, what the team is like to work in, and which of your requirements are genuinely non-negotiable. Most bad shortlists trace back to this conversation not happening.
A written brief you sign off — so we are both wrong at the same time, or neither of us is.
We source against the brief, not the keyword
Sourcing on a keyword match returns people whose CV contains the word. We work from the shape of the role — the systems they have actually run, the scale they have run them at, the environment they came from. For niche and senior roles that means approaching people who are not looking.
A longlist we have qualified, which you never have to read.
We speak to every candidate before you see them
Nobody reaches your inbox on the strength of a CV alone. We confirm they are genuinely interested in this role, that their notice period and expectations are real, and that what the CV claims matches what they can talk about. This is the step that database recruiting skips.
Current CTC, expected CTC, notice period and motivation — verified in conversation, not copied off a portal.
You get a shortlist with reasoning, not a stack of CVs
Each candidate comes with why we think they fit, what they are missing, and what it would take to close them. If there is a risk — a counter-offer likely, a long notice period, a commute that may not hold — it is on the submission, not discovered at offer stage.
A first shortlist within 24 hours of an agreed brief.
We stay in it until they join
The work does not end at the offer. We manage notice periods, counter-offers and the silence between offer and joining, because that is where placements are lost. You hear from us whether the news is good or not.
You pay only when someone actually joins.
What we will not do
Every agency will tell you what they do. This is the more useful list — hold us to it, and tell us if we ever break it.
- Send a CV we have not spoken to the candidate about.
- Forward a profile straight off a jobboard with our logo on it.
- Bill you for a search that does not produce a hire.
- Put a candidate in front of you for a role we know they will not take.
- Pad a shortlist to look busy — three right people beat thirty.
Questions we get asked
Will I just get database CVs?
No. Nobody reaches your shortlist without a conversation first, and every submission carries our reasoning for why they fit and what they are missing. If a shortlist ever reads like a keyword search, tell us and we will redo it.
How fast is the first shortlist?
Within 24 hours of an agreed brief. That is the shortlist, not the hire — a senior search still takes as long as it takes, but you should not wait days to see whether we understand the role.
What does it cost?
Permanent hiring is 8.33% to 16.67% of annual CTC, charged only when your hire joins. No retainer, no database fee, and no charge for a search that does not work out. Full terms are on our pricing page.
What happens if the hire does not work out?
Replacement terms vary by engagement type and are set out in your contract. Ask us for the specific terms before you sign — we would rather you knew exactly what is covered.
Who actually does the screening?
A specialist recruiter for your domain — IT, BPO, GCC or cybersecurity — not a generalist working from a script. You deal with the same person throughout the mandate.