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Retained Recruiting Services


What is retained recruiting?

Retained recruiting is MJL Recruiting & Consulting's most dedicated search option. You engage MJL as your exclusive search partner, and your role gets full focus and priority from day one. Before you commit, you receive a free talent market report for the role. MJL then sources and screens candidates and delivers a shortlist of the best 3-5 for you to review.

MJL Recruiting & Consulting is based in Snohomish, WA and runs retained searches for companies in Washington and every U.S. state.

What do you get with a retained search?

  • A full discovery of your business, culture and the role before the search starts
  • A talent market report, free whether or not you move forward
  • All outbound sourcing and first-round screening calls handled by MJL
  • A 30-second overview of each candidate before you open a resume
  • A shortlist of the best 3-5 vetted candidates
  • Interview scheduling and support through the offer
  • A two pronged guarantee - first prong scenarios trigger a free replacement, second prong scenarios trigger a small additional fee and a recommended partner to help fix the issue that caused the quick departure.

How does a retained search work?

  1. Discovery. We learn your business first: your culture, mission, vision and values. Then we cover the role itself: location, work arrangement (remote, hybrid or on-site), required experience and skills, and any personality traits you want or want to avoid.
  2. Talent market report. We pull a market report for the role and give it to you whether or not you hire us. It covers candidate numbers, the major employers, average job tenure, when people tend to move, and rough salary estimates, so you know the timeline before you commit.
  3. Sourcing and screening. We source candidates through job boards, social media, our network and events where relevant. Our recruiters review resumes and run phone screens on skills, qualifications and culture fit.
  4. Shortlist and offer. You see only the best 3-5 candidates, each with a 30-second overview. We schedule interviews and manage the process so the offer goes to your top candidate quickly.

Why does MJL look at culture fit as well as skills?

A hire needs both the technical skills for the role and a fit with your culture and team. Missing either one usually means a costly restart of the search for you and a poor experience for the candidate. That is why every retained search starts with your business, not the job description.

How much does retained recruiting cost?


We price retained search on the value of getting the hire right, not a one-size-fits-all percentage of salary.

  • 1-2 openings: $5,000 retainer up front per opening, with a minimum total fee of $15,000 per placement.
  • 3 or more openings: a monthly retainer starting at $10,000, built for companies scaling a team rather than filling a single seat.

Every engagement includes the full retained process: discovery, talent market report, sourcing, screening and a shortlist of 3-5 vetted candidates.

What does the retained guarantee cover?

Retained searches include a two-pronged guarantee. First, if the candidate leaves of their own volition in the first 90 days, or as we like to say an Act of God (sickness, spouse/partner needs to relocate, etc.), meaning, something they can't control and couldn't have been screened for, we'll find their replacement for free. Second, the candidate leaves because of something you did or didn't do (training, onboarding, support, mis-represented culture, etc.), in the first 90 days, we'll replace them for a small additional fee, contingent on you accepting a recommendation to one of our partners that specializes in helping companies fix the issue that caused the new employee to leave.

When should you choose retained over contingent?

Choose retained search for roles that are senior, business-critical or hard to fill, when you want market data before you commit, or when you are hiring several people at once. For roles with a broad candidate pool and less urgency, contingent search may be the better fit. See the full retained vs. contingent comparison.

If you need a direct comparison between retained and contingent, you can find all of that information here.

Let's talk about what your search actually needs.  Call 425-245-5318 or get your custom quote today!