Before signing a recruiting agreement, separate the fee calculation, payment trigger, payment timing, and any replacement or refund terms. These are different questions and should be answered by the actual written agreement.
This is a preparation checklist for a discussion with the provider and your appropriate legal or commercial reviewer. It does not describe Refery’s terms or interpret a particular contract.
Ask the questions separately
| Topic | Question to resolve |
|---|---|
| Fee basis | What is charged, and which amounts or services are included? |
| Trigger | What event creates the payment obligation? |
| Timing | When is payment due after that event? |
| Candidate coverage | Which introductions or prior relationships are covered? |
| Replacement support | What work, if any, is provided if a hire leaves? |
| Refund | Is any refund available, and under what written conditions? |
| Exclusions | What situations fall outside the support offered? |
| Notification | What must each party report, and when? |
Do not assume a replacement service means a refund or that a headline guarantee covers every departure.
Use a concrete hypothetical
Ask the provider to walk through a fictional case: a candidate accepts, starts, and later leaves. Which provisions apply at each stage?
Then change one fact, such as the company changing the role after the person joins. The purpose is to identify where the agreement needs clarification, not to infer an answer from industry custom.
Reconcile the documents
Compare the proposal, emails, and final agreement. If they describe different terms, ask the authorized parties to resolve the difference in the written agreement.
Do not rely on a recruiter’s informal reassurance when the commercial document says something else.
Clarify active-search closure
Ask what happens to candidates already introduced if the engagement ends or the role is paused. Establish the communication and record-handling process alongside the commercial review.
Keep private candidate details out of broadly circulated contract discussions unless they are necessary and appropriately shared.
Assign an internal owner
The hiring manager, finance owner, and reviewer should know who can approve commitments and who manages invoices or later questions.
Use the recruiting budget worksheet and pilot search charter. Discuss your hiring needs with Refery.
For what providers actually publish about fees and guarantees, see what a startup recruiter costs.