Choose the hiring model that fits the seat.
At Skilled Trades Headhunters, this is what we do all day: recruit skilled trades professionals.
Different hiring problems need different routes. Compare the models, not claims about individual firms. Send Us Your Open Role
The right route depends on the hire
A service manager replacing a licensed technician has a different problem from a plant filling a temporary shift or a board appointing its next chief executive. Start with the work, the employment arrangement and the reason good people would take the job. Then choose the way to find them. Paying for a search is not the same as paying for temporary cover, and buying a job advertisement does not mean someone will qualify the applicants for you.
The table compares hiring models, not the quality of individual firms. The names are examples of organizations associated with those markets. A named firm may offer several services beyond the model shown. Its actual scope, charges and obligations depend on the agreement you sign. Ask the provider to explain those terms rather than treating this page as a description of its contract.
| Hiring model | How they find people | Who they reach | How charging works in general | When it fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive search Korn Ferry and Egon Zehnder: executive-search services | Korn Ferry describes target-company research and direct contact. Egon Zehnder describes custom executive search. These are search services, not just job advertising. | Executives and senior leaders within the scope of an agreed search. | Charges and payment terms depend on the engagement. No firm-specific fee is quoted here. | A leadership appointment requiring executive assessment and stakeholder involvement. |
| Specialized permanent recruitment Robert Half and Michael Page: permanent-recruitment services | Robert Half describes specialized permanent placement. Michael Page describes research, networks, referrals and advertising. Methods and scope vary by service. | Candidates within the provider's specialties, including people reached through research and networks. | The permanent-placement agreement sets the fee and when it is due. These services are not temporary staffing. | A permanent opening within the provider's stated specialization. Confirm the trade and credential screening included. |
| Temporary staffing: general model | Applicant databases, advertisements, referrals and recruiter outreach. This row describes the model, not a named firm's full capabilities. | Workers available for an assignment within the provider's service lines. | Assignment charges and employment obligations depend on the agreement. | Temporary cover or an established staffing arrangement. Confirm who handles employment obligations and trade credentials. |
| Union hiring halls and labor halls | Dispatch or referral arrangements, governed by the hall's own rules and any relevant agreement. | Workers registered or eligible under that arrangement. | Costs and employer obligations depend on the applicable agreement and arrangement. | Work requiring a particular dispatch route. A union hiring hall is not interchangeable with a general labor hall. |
| Job boards | The employer advertises a vacancy and receives applications or accesses searchable profiles. | People using that platform, often actively looking. | Advertising, subscriptions or access charges, depending on the product. | A clear opening that draws suitable applicants when your team can screen them and manage the process. |
| Skilled Trades Headhunters | We map relevant trade backgrounds and contact working people directly. We check the actual scope before presenting anyone. | Hands-on tradespeople and field leaders, including people who are not replying to job advertisements. | No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The signed recruiting agreement sets the fee and terms. | A permanent trade hire where the license, work history and willingness to move matter more than a pile of applications. |
Primary sources for the named services
Reviewed . These links describe the services discussed above. They do not establish a firm's fee, guarantee or ranking.
Ask what you are actually buying
For a permanent trades hire, ask who will define the work and speak with the candidate. A license alone does not tell you whether an electrician can run occupied-building service calls or whether a plumber can lead a commercial rough-in. Ask how the provider separates those backgrounds, confirms the relevant credential and explains gaps before you arrange an interview. Get the reporting line, shift and job location into the brief.
For temporary cover, ask who is responsible for employment, payroll, insurance and site requirements. Do not assume that a recruiting agreement supplies workers or transfers those obligations. Our permanent contingency search is the default. Other engagement types are available on request, with terms agreed for that engagement. We do not describe a contract worker as our employee or promise a same-day labor fill.
If a job board is already bringing you suitable applicants, you may not need a headhunter. If it brings titles that look right but experience that does not, review the advertisement and screening questions first. Describe the equipment, service area and credential requirement clearly. A person deciding whether to leave a steady job wants to know the on-call arrangement and the work they will actually be given, not just a new title.
A direct search makes sense when you need to reach people outside that applicant pool. Tell us why this seat is open, which parts of the work cannot be taught after the start and what you can offer someone who is already employed. We will discuss the brief and whether our approach fits it. The shortlist should give you enough detail to make an informed interview decision, not hide a mismatch behind a polished resume.
Keep the written agreement close to the hiring decision. Confirm what triggers payment, how candidate introductions are handled and which replacement terms apply. A general description of a hiring model cannot settle those questions. Different firms and different engagements can have different terms without one being better than another. Choose the arrangement that answers your actual need and leaves the responsibilities clear.
See how we work or send us your open role. If you need an executive appointment, broad temporary cover or a dispatch arrangement, use the provider suited to that work. We focus on the trades and the people who do them.
Company names are trademarks of their owners. We are not affiliated with them.
What do buyers ask about this?
How do I pick between a recruiter, a staffing agency, a hall and a job board?
Start with the employment arrangement. Temporary cover or volume points to a staffing agency, a covered classification points to the hiring hall in your agreement, a clear opening with in-house screening time points to a job board, and a permanent trade hire where scope and license matter points to a specialist search.
What is the difference between active and passive candidates here?
Job boards and applicant databases mostly reach people who are already looking. A direct search contacts tradespeople who are working and not replying to advertisements, then checks the actual scope with them before you see a name.
If a staffing agency also does permanent placement, is that the same as a search?
Not necessarily. Temporary staffing is usually charged for the supplied assignment, and permanent recruitment has separate agreed fees. Ask which service you are buying, who defines the work and who speaks with the candidate.
Is a union hiring hall the same as a labor hall?
No. A union hiring hall dispatches under its own rules and any agreement you are party to. A general labor hall supplies available workers for short assignments. The table treats them as one route only because both dispatch rather than search.
Where are the fee terms for each model set?
In the agreement you sign with that provider. The comparison table describes how charging works in general; it is not a description of any firm's contract. Our own terms are explained on the fees page and fixed in a signed recruiting agreement.
Start a Search
Tell us the trade and where the work is. Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
Contingency search. No fee unless you hire.
Tell us who you need.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.