Pricing
One Methodology.
Three Search Intensities.
Every tier uses the same 10-Dimension Fit Score, the same HITL Gate, and the same direct access to Darren. What changes is cadence — and how tightly our incentives are aligned with yours.
Precision
Full methodology. Targeted volume. Ideal for executives with a clear target and a patient timeline.
- ✓10-Dimension Fit Score — full profile built on intake
- ✓The Right 30™ filter — ~28–32 applications per engagement period
- ✓HITL Gate — you approve every application before it goes out
- ✓ATS-optimized resume and cover letter, calibrated per role
- ✓Negotiation brief on every offer
- ✓Weekly progress summary
- ✓Direct access to Darren — no account manager
Accelerator
Everything in Precision — plus a higher-frequency cadence and a success fee that aligns our incentives with yours.
- ✓Everything in Precision
- ✓Twice-weekly sourcing runs instead of weekly
- ✓Priority turnaround on HITL approvals (same business day)
- ✓Compensation benchmarking — full market comp pull per target role
- ✓Offer negotiation — active support through counter and close
- ✓5% success fee on base salary at placement (month-to-month fees credited)
- ✓Founding cohort eligible
Executive
Full-service. Reserved for C-suite and board-level searches where speed, discretion, and negotiation complexity are highest.
- ✓Everything in Accelerator
- ✓Daily sourcing and application cadence
- ✓Board and C-suite network outreach
- ✓LinkedIn profile stealth optimization
- ✓Reference orchestration and pre-reference prep
- ✓Full negotiation — base, equity, signing bonus, severance
- ✓Option to convert to 10% success fee only (no monthly)
- ✓Founding cohort eligible
All engagements begin with a free 30-minute consultation. Results vary based on market conditions, role availability, and individual circumstances.
Founding Cohort
The First Five Clients Lock Their Rate. Permanently.
The founding cohort offer is straightforward: the first five clients to engage at any tier lock their monthly rate for the life of the relationship — including any future re-engagement, at any cadence.
That means if Precision is $997 today and the rate increases next year, founding clients pay $997 indefinitely. If they place, take six months off, and re-engage — still $997.
Founding cohort clients also receive a private briefing on every significant methodology update — new sourcing techniques, HITL interface improvements, negotiation framework changes — before they roll out to the broader client base.
We are currently at fewer than 12 active clients. The founding cohort window is open. It won't be indefinitely.
Start with the free consultation. Rate lock confirmed on engagement start.
The Guarantees
Common Questions
Pricing, Fees, and How It Works
What does the 5% success fee cover in Accelerator?
It applies to base salary at placement — not equity, not bonus. If you placed at $300K base, the fee is $15K. Monthly fees paid during the engagement are credited against it, so you're not double-paying for the months of work.
Can I switch tiers mid-engagement?
Yes. If your situation changes — a sudden urgency, a target role that requires faster cadence — you can move up. Moves take effect at the next billing cycle. Moving down follows the same rule.
What's included in the founding cohort?
The first five clients lock their monthly rate for life — including any future re-engagement, at any tier. They also receive a private briefing on every significant methodology update before it rolls out to the broader client base.
Is there a setup fee?
No. The intake call, the 10-Dimension Fit Score build, and the first sourcing run are all included in month one. You pay the monthly rate. That's it.
What happens when I'm placed?
Engagement ends. If you re-engage within 24 months, your rate is locked at what you originally paid. If you're a founding cohort member, that lock is permanent regardless of timing.
Do you work with executives who are currently employed?
That's most of our clients. Discretion isn't an add-on — it's the default. Your name doesn't appear anywhere in the search process until you've approved it.
How HQ Career Compares
Executive recruiters work for the company, not you. Their fee — typically 20–30% of first-year comp — is paid by the employer. Their incentive is to fill the seat, not to maximize your outcome.
Outplacement firms are funded by your former employer to manage the liability of letting you go. Their tools are generic. Their timeline is theirs, not yours.
Resume writers and career coaches hand you a better document and a framework. You still run the search yourself — which is the part that takes 200 hours.
HQ Career runs the search for you. You make only the decisions that require your judgment: approving applications, deciding to pursue an opportunity, accepting or rejecting an offer. Everything else is handled.
At $997/month, a single salary negotiation improvement of $10K–$30K covers the cost of an entire engagement. The methodology is designed to produce exactly that — on every offer.
Start with the free consultation.
30 minutes. No pitch. We'll complete two of your fit dimensions and give you at least one concrete action you can take today — whether you become a client or not.
Book a Free Consultation →Results vary. Past outcomes do not guarantee future results.