Some openings sit for months because they need judgment that takes twenty years to build and tools that changed last year. That is the only kind of role we work on. Everyone we represent has at least twenty years in their discipline, and we help each of them document that their skills are current.
Quality Engineer, automotive tier one
When a role stays open, the shortlist is usually failing one of two tests: not enough experience to handle what the job actually throws at it, or not current enough with the tools it runs on now. Most searches fix one and lose the other.
Employers and dates, checked at intake rather than taken from a résumé. It is a qualification bar, and a good share of applicants do not clear it.
An active credential, recent training, a recent project on the technology, or demonstrable proficiency on the platform your role runs on — whichever genuinely proves it, always carrying a date.
A percentage of first-year salary, invoiced on the start date, with a ninety-day replacement guarantee. No retainer, no engagement fee, no fee if nobody starts.
The pattern matters more than the industry. We work where someone who has been through a dozen closes, four audits, or three system migrations is measurably better than someone who hasn't — and where the tools have moved since. Two examples of what that looks like today:
These are examples, not limits. If your hardest opening sits in another discipline entirely, the test is the same: does twenty years beat five here, and have the tools changed? If both are yes, it's our kind of role.