Priority Search Model — A New Standard in Recruiting

Find the Right Talent. Not Just the Fastest.

Engaged search recruiting that delivers top talent in weeks—with complete transparency, dedicated focus, and a 92%+ placement success rate.

Why Engaged Search Wins

The Contingency Recruiting Trap

With contingency, your job order goes to 2-5 competing firms—each with multiple recruiters. That's 4-10 people racing to submit anyone who might fit before another firm beats them to it. No time for deep research when you're competing to be first. The result? 18% success rates and the same role open 6 months later.

4-10

recruiters competing

Racing to be first

vs

1

dedicated recruiter

Deep research focus

The Contingent Trap

Traditional recruiting model

  • Industry research shows most contingent searches fail

  • Juggling multiple roles

    No dedicated focus on your search

  • Active seekers only

    A race against time and other firms for limited talent

  • Weekly email (maybe)

    Black box process with minimal updates

  • Resume keyword matching

    No deep research or headhunting

  • Candidates bombarded with AI spam

    Generic mass outreach damages your employer brand with top talent

  • 75% report being ghosted after interviews

  • Race to place anyone

    Speed over finding the right fit

  • High failure rate

    Low upfront cost, but constant restarts

“It's now common for contingency search firms to only fill 10-20% of their job orders.”

— Recruiter's Coach
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The Priority Advantage

Commitment-based partnership

  • Better than industry average—we don't give up

  • Dedicated exclusively

    One recruiter fully committed to your search

  • Access to 100% of the market, not just job seekers

  • Real-time portal

    Kanban tracking, video interviews, analytics

  • Deep org research

    Competitor mapping and strategic headhunting

  • Professional outreach

    Branded, personalized candidate experience

  • Employer brand protected

    Thoughtful outreach candidates appreciate—your reputation stays strong

  • Find the right person

    Aligned incentives for quality over speed

  • Committed partnership

    Engagement fee ensures dedicated focus

“When you actually put any money down on a search (engaged or retained) the success percentage jumps up to a staggering 92%.”

— ThinkingAhead Executive Search
Contingency vs Engaged recruiting comparison - 4-10 recruiters competing with 18% success rate vs 1 dedicated partner with 92%+ success rate

Contingent: 2-5 competing firms × 2+ recruiters each = 4-10 people racing to be first on average

Result: No time for deep research. Surface-level searches. First candidate submitted wins—not the best candidate.

Engaged: 1 dedicated recruiter, 3x the success rate, zero competition. Time to find the right person.

The kicker: Engagement fee is credited toward your total—you're not paying extra, you're ensuring dedicated focus. Plus, you keep the Market Intelligence Report regardless of outcome.