Pricing
Transparent fees.
Stated up front.
From 20% to 25% of first-year cash compensation on an exclusive mandate, depending on how much risk you transfer to us upfront. 120-day replacement guarantee on every tier. Realised fees across US search firms sit around 22.5% of first-year compensation, usually on a wider base that counts commission, equity and discretionary bonus. We price on cash compensation only, and cover every hire for 120 days rather than the usual 90: not because the work is worth less, but because we do not carry a sales floor.
20-25%
of first-year cash compensation, by tier, exclusive mandate
120 days
Replacement guarantee, every tier
$0
Retainer or minimum fee on Contingency Search
Engagement Models
Three products. Priced on risk, not brand.
Every search is an exclusive mandate as standard; what changes the rate is how much you commit upfront. Contingency Search for the critical or one-off mandate, paid only on placement. Engaged Search backed by an upfront commitment. Retained Search, milestone-billed and priced lowest because it moves the most cash-flow risk off Selah earliest. The same people and the same standard on every one.
Pay on placement
Contingency Search
For a contractor or consultancy making a single, critical hire. No retainer and no minimum fee; the fee is payable only when a Selah-sourced candidate starts. An exclusive mandate as standard, for the life of the search.
Monthly commitment
$0
Placement fee
25%
of first-year cash compensation, exclusive mandate
- Single active mandate
- Exclusive mandate; non-exclusive at 30%
- 120-day replacement guarantee
- Net 30 from the start date
- Dedicated consultant
- Full calibration reports
Exclusive, upfront-committed
Engaged Search
An exclusive mandate backed by a $2,000 upfront commitment fee, credited in full against the placement fee. The upfront commitment is what earns the lower rate.
Upfront commitment
$2,000
credited against the placement fee
Placement fee
22%
of first-year cash compensation
- Exclusive mandate
- $2,000 upfront commitment fee, credited against placement fee
- 120-day replacement guarantee
- Dedicated consultant
- Full calibration reports
Milestone-billed retained
Retained Search
The lowest search-fee percentage in the catalogue, because Retained transfers the most cash-flow risk off Selah earliest: roughly two-thirds of the fee is collected before placement.
Minimum fee
$15,000
Placement fee
20%
of first-year cash compensation, billed in thirds
- Exclusive mandate
- Milestone billing: ~1/3 commencement, ~1/3 qualified shortlist, ~1/3 placement
- $15,000 minimum fee
- 60-day cancellation credit window
- 120-day replacement guarantee
- Dedicated consultant
- Full calibration reports
The Terms in Full
What each engagement actually commits you to
The cards above are the short version. These are the terms behind them, so there is nothing about an engagement you meet for the first time at signature. The percentage on each tier tracks the risk transferred to Selah, not brand-premium market convention: Contingency clients commit nothing upfront and pay the highest rate because Selah carries all the risk; Retained clients commit real milestone cash and pay the lowest rate in the catalogue because that commitment moves the most cash-flow risk off Selah, earliest.
Contingency Search. No retainer and no minimum fee. The 25% fee is for an exclusive mandate, the standard, and falls due only when a Selah-sourced candidate starts, invoiced net 30 from the start date. The mandate runs for the life of the search and does not restrict your own direct sourcing. A client who wants other firms working the same role can have a non-exclusive mandate at 30%, because Selah then carries more of the risk. The fee is calculated on first-year cash compensation: base salary, any contractual or target bonus stated in the offer letter, and a signing bonus. Discretionary bonus, commission, equity, allowances and benefits are excluded; where the bonus is discretionary, the fee is computed on base salary plus signing bonus. This compensation basis is the same on every tier below.
Engaged Search. An exclusive mandate at 22%, backed by a $2,000 upfront commitment fee that is credited in full against the placement fee, earned on commencement and non-refundable. The upfront commitment is what earns the lower rate, the same mechanism that puts Retained Search lower still.
Retained Search. An exclusive mandate at 20%, the lowest search-fee percentage we publish, with a $15,000 minimum fee. Billed roughly in thirds: on commencement, on submission of a qualified shortlist, and on placement, with the placement milestone reconciled against actual first-year cash compensation. A 60-day cancellation credit window applies if the search restarts within that window.
On every engagement. A 120-day replacement guarantee, on the conditions set out below, uniform across all three models. Any hire of a Selah-introduced candidate by you or an affiliate within twelve months of introduction owes the full fee, whoever else was involved, and that survives termination of the agreement. Converting an introduced candidate from contract to permanent owes the fee on the same basis. Either party may terminate on fourteen days' written notice, with no termination fee. Candidates never pay us anything, at any stage.
Interactive Tool
Fee architecture calculator.
Model the true 12-month cost of your current agency against each of our published rates. Set your incumbent's fee on the left; every Selah number below is fixed and comes from our published fee schedule.
Your Inputs
First-year cash compensation: base salary, contractual or target bonus stated in the offer letter and signing bonus; discretionary bonus, commission, equity, allowances and benefits excluded.
Other US search firms typically charge 20–25%, with realised fees averaging about 22.5%. This changes the first row only; Selah's own rates are fixed and shown below it.
Annual Cost Comparison
Another agency
✓ Best ValueContingency Search
✓ Best ValueExclusive mandate, for the life of the search. Non-exclusive: 30% on the same base.
Engaged Search
✓ Best ValueRetained Search
✓ Best ValueCustom / Enterprise
Tailored for high volume or complex hiring needs.
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Request a 15-minute call →Common Questions
Everything you need to know about the fees.
- How is the placement fee calculated?
- Contingency Search is 25% of first-year cash compensation for an exclusive mandate; non-exclusive 30%. Engaged Search is 22% plus a $2,000 upfront fee credited against the placement fee. Retained Search is 20% with a $15,000 minimum, billed in thirds.
- Is Contingency Search exclusive?
- Yes, as standard. Contingency Search is 25% of first-year cash compensation for an exclusive mandate, which runs for the life of the search and does not restrict your own direct sourcing. If you want other firms working the same role, the mandate is non-exclusive at 30%, because Selah then carries more of the risk.
- What is Engaged Search, and how is it different from Retained Search?
- Engaged Search is exclusive, backed by a $2,000 upfront fee credited against the 22% placement fee. Retained Search is exclusive too, at 20% with a $15,000 minimum, billed in thirds by milestone. Retained transfers the most cash-flow risk off Selah earliest, so it carries the lowest search-fee percentage.
- What does the 120-day guarantee cover?
- If a placed candidate leaves within 120 days of starting, Selah runs one replacement search at no additional fee. Replacement only, never a refund, uniform across all three engagement models. Live once the placement fee is paid in full; void if the role is filled elsewhere, restructured or materially changed.
- Can I use you for a single hire without a retainer?
- Yes. Contingency Search carries no monthly retainer and no minimum fee: 25% of first-year cash compensation for an exclusive mandate (30% non-exclusive), payable only when a Selah-sourced candidate starts, Net 30 from the start date. Either side may end an engagement on 14 days' notice with nothing owed.
The Guarantee in Full
What voids the 120-day replacement cover
The answers above are the short version. These are the conditions as the search agreement states them, so there is nothing about the guarantee you meet for the first time at signature.
- The role is filled from any other source.
- The candidate is made redundant, the role is restructured, or the candidate is terminated other than for cause.
- The role is materially changed after placement.
Cover is live only once the placement fee has been paid in full; late payment suspends it, and cover revives from the date payment clears. You request the replacement in writing within thirty days of the departure, and Selah delivers the replacement search within ninety days of that request. One replacement: if the replacement also leaves, the obligation is discharged and a second search is offered at the volume rate.