David runs every Beacon search personally, on a contingency basis.
Both are legitimate models. They align incentives differently, and the right choice depends on how scarce and how urgent the role actually is.
Which model fitsNo fee unless a candidate is placed and starts. The recruiter absorbs the sourcing risk, which naturally focuses effort on searches likely to close.
You pay to engage the recruiter exclusively, often with milestone payments. Common for scarce executive searches where exclusivity speeds things up.
Beacon Talent operates on contingency. For most engineering roles at growing SaaS and healthcare AI companies, that's a lower-risk entry point without sacrificing search quality, you only pay when the hire actually happens. Retained makes more sense for the rarest, most executive-level searches where exclusivity genuinely changes the outcome.
Contingency means our incentives are aligned with yours from day one: we only get paid if this actually works.
David runs every Beacon search personally, on a contingency basis.
Book a 15-minute call, no commitment, and we'll walk you through how contingency works for your role.
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