Permanent Recruitment
Contingency
A focused search for key technical and supervisory roles, where the market is active and speed matters. You pay only when you appoint someone we introduce.
What it is
When to choose contingency.
Contingency search suits roles where good people exist in reasonable numbers, but the right one rarely applies to an advert at the right moment. We work the brief from our own network and the active market at the same time, and present a short, screened list rather than a pile of CVs.
You keep full flexibility. There is no commitment until you make an appointment, and you are free to run your own advertising alongside us. You get fewer candidates from us, and we have spoken to every one of them.
How it runs
Five stages, one consultant.
- 1
The brief
A conversation with the hiring manager covering the role, the site, the shift pattern, the package and what has made this vacancy hard to fill.
- 2
Network and market
We go first to people we already know, then to the active market, measured against the brief rather than keywords.
- 3
Screening calls
Every candidate is interviewed by phone or video: experience, motivation, notice, commute and salary expectations.
- 4
Shortlist with notes
You receive a short list of CVs, each with our written notes on fit, motivation and anything you should probe.
- 5
Interviews and offer
We arrange interviews, brief each candidate, return feedback quickly and manage the offer and resignation.
Roles in this bracket
Typical appointments, £30k to £55k.
- Maintenance Engineer
- Shift Manager
- Production Supervisor
- Quality Engineer
- Project Engineer
- Electrical Engineer
- Field Service Engineer
- Production Planner
- Logistics Supervisor
- Health and Safety Advisor
What you receive
Delivered as standard.
A screened shortlist
Typically three to five candidates, each interviewed against your brief before you see them.
Written candidate notes
Why each person fits, why they would move, their package expectations and notice period.
Offer management
Offer, acceptance, resignation and counter offer handled through to the start date.
Compare
Three searches, side by side.
| Search type | i.Contingency | ii.Committed | iii.Retained |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical salary | £30k to £55k | £50k to £80k | £75k and above |
| Typical roles | Technical, engineering and supervisory | Management and heads of function | Directors, site leaders and successors |
| Exclusivity | Not required | Exclusive for an agreed period | Exclusive |
| How we find people | Network and active market | Network plus direct headhunt | Full market map and direct approach |
| Shortlist | Screened CVs with notes | On an agreed date, with assessments | Assessed shortlist from a mapped longlist |
| Reporting | Feedback on every candidate | Market feedback throughout | Written progress reports |
| Confidential searches | Not suited | Possible | Designed for it |
| Fee | On appointment | Agreed at the outset | Staged through the search |
Discuss a contingency search.
A short call is usually enough to tell whether this is the right route for the role.