Commercial Terms & Placement Guarantee 

At Anastasia Talent Group LLC (ATG), our commercial model is designed around accountability.

Clients should know what happens after an engagement begins, when candidates should be presented, when fees become payable, what ATG is responsible for, and what protection applies after a successful placement.

Our commercial terms are structured according to the type of search being conducted. The applicable engagement agreement will establish the final fee, payment schedule, search scope, guarantee period, and contractual obligations.

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1. THE ATG 14- BUSINESS DAY SHORTLIST COMMITMENT

A Qualified Shortlist Within 14 Business Days

For search engagements where the 14-Business Day Shortlist Commitment is included in the applicable engagement, ATG will target delivery of an initial qualified candidate shortlist within 14 business days of the Search Kickoff Date.

The purpose of the 14-business day commitment is to establish early search momentum and demonstrate that the assignment has entered active execution.

The 14-business day period begins when:

The applicable Search Agreement has been fully executed;

Any required initial retainer or engagement payment has been received;

The client has provided the information reasonably necessary to initiate the search;

The position requirements have been confirmed;

Compensation parameters have been established;

The designated client contact and interview process have been identified; and

ATG has received any other materials reasonably necessary to conduct the assignment.

The date on which these conditions are satisfied will constitute the Search Kickoff Date.

What “Shortlist” Means

A shortlist consists of candidates who have been identified and screened against the agreed search criteria and who ATG reasonably determines merit presentation to the client.

Depending on the engagement, screening may include:

Relevant professional experience review;

Resume/CV review;

Skills and qualification assessment;

Career-history review;

Compensation alignment;

Location or geographic alignment;

Availability assessment;

Motivation or interest assessment;

Cultural and organizational alignment;

Initial recruiting interview; and

Other agreed qualification criteria.

A shortlist does not mean that every candidate is guaranteed to interview, receive an offer, accept an offer, or ultimately be hired.

Client Cooperation

The 14-business day commitment assumes timely client participation.

If the client materially delays providing information, approving search criteria, confirming compensation, providing interview availability, reviewing candidates, or responding to ATG requests necessary to conduct the search, the applicable timeline may be reasonably extended.

Market Conditions

ATG does not guarantee that a specific number of candidates will be available in every market, geography, compensation range, or specialty.

Where the original search parameters materially restrict the available talent pool, ATG will communicate the market conditions and may recommend adjustments to the search strategy.

The 14-business day commitment is a commitment to active search execution and qualified candidate presentation—not a guarantee of hiring within 14 business days.

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2. DIRECT-HIRE RECRUITING

Contingency Placement Model

ATG’s Direct-Hire Recruiting service operates primarily on a contingency basis.

Under this model:

No placement fee is earned unless a qualifying candidate is successfully hired;

The placement fee becomes payable upon the candidate’s official start date;

The applicable fee percentage and commercial terms are established in the executed Search Agreement;

ATG manages candidate identification, screening, qualification, presentation, and interview coordination within the agreed scope; and

The client retains responsibility for the final hiring decision.

ATG’s Direct-Hire Recruiting service covers positions across the enterprise hierarchy, including leadership, specialized technical, revenue, operational, administrative, and support functions.

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3. DIRECT-HIRE 60–90 DAY PLACEMENT GUARANTEE

Protection After the Hire

Qualifying Direct-Hire placements receive a 60- to 90-day replacement guarantee, with the specific guarantee period stated in the applicable Search Agreement.

The guarantee begins on the candidate’s official employment start date.

If a qualifying placed candidate:

voluntarily resigns; or

is terminated by the client for cause

during the applicable guarantee period, ATG will provide a replacement search for the same or substantially similar position, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable Search Agreement.

Replacement Search

Where the guarantee applies, ATG will re-open the search and use commercially reasonable recruiting efforts to identify qualified replacement candidates.

The replacement search will be conducted without an additional placement fee for the replacement search itself.

The guarantee does not create an obligation for ATG to provide a cash refund unless the applicable Search Agreement expressly provides for one.

Guarantee Conditions

The replacement guarantee is conditioned upon:

The candidate being originally introduced or placed by ATG.

The original placement fee having been paid in accordance with the agreement.

The candidate’s departure occurring within the applicable guarantee period.

The departure qualifying under the specific guarantee language in the Search Agreement.

The client notifying ATG promptly after the qualifying departure.

The position remaining substantially the same role.

The client cooperating reasonably with the replacement search.

The client providing ATG with reasonable access to the information necessary to understand the circumstances surrounding the departure.

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4. EXECUTIVE SEARCH GUARANTEE

90-Day Executive Placement Protection

ATG’s Retained and Container/Engaged Executive Search services include 90-day full candidate replacement protection, subject to the applicable engagement agreement.

This protection applies to qualifying executive placements and begins on the executive’s official employment start date.

Executive searches are designed for high-impact leadership positions including C-Suite, Vice President, Senior Director, and Board-level assignments. The executive-search methodology includes market mapping, passive headhunting, multi-stage competency vetting, structured interview scorecards, and executive-level assessment.

If a qualifying executive placement ends during the applicable 90-day guarantee period under circumstances covered by the Search Agreement, ATG will conduct a replacement search for the same or substantially similar position without charging an additional placement fee for the replacement search.

Executive Search Is Not a Performance Warranty

The 90-day protection is a replacement-search commitment.

It is not a guarantee that an executive will:

achieve a particular business result;

meet a specific revenue target;

satisfy every performance expectation;

remain employed indefinitely;

avoid organizational restructuring;

remain employed following a change in ownership or leadership; or

produce a particular return on the client’s hiring investment.

The final employment decision remains with the client.

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5. RETAINED EXECUTIVE SEARCH COMMERCIAL TERMS

Retained Executive Search engagements are structured around dedicated search execution and milestone-based payments.

ATG’s standard retained structure consists of three equal fee milestones:

Milestone 1 — Kickoff

Due upon execution of the engagement and commencement of the search.

This initiates dedicated search resources and market-mapping activity.

Milestone 2 — Shortlist Presentation

Due upon presentation of the qualified executive shortlist in accordance with the engagement terms.

This milestone recognizes the substantial research, market mapping, sourcing, outreach, screening, and assessment work performed before candidate presentation.

Milestone 3 — Placement Settlement

Due according to the payment terms established in the engagement agreement, generally in connection with the successful placement/start of the selected candidate.

The exact payment schedule, fee amount, exclusivity, search duration, and guarantee terms will be stated in the executed Search Agreement.

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6. CONTAINER / ENGAGED EXECUTIVE SEARCH

Container or Engaged Search provides a hybrid structure between retained and contingency recruiting.

The engagement requires an upfront retainer to initiate dedicated sourcing, with the remaining balance becoming due according to the applicable placement and payment terms.

This model may be appropriate where the client requires:

Dedicated recruiting attention;

Confidential executive hiring;

Specialized market mapping;

Difficult-to-reach passive candidates;

A concentrated search campaign; or

A higher level of recruiting resource allocation.

The exact commercial structure will be established before the search begins.

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7. TARGETED PASSIVE HEADHUNTING

Targeted Passive Headhunting is a specialized sourcing engagement focused on professionals who are not actively applying through conventional job boards.

ATG may conduct:

Target-company identification;

Market mapping;

Passive candidate identification;

Direct outreach;

Opportunity positioning;

Candidate qualification;

Interest and motivation assessment; and

Candidate presentation.

Because passive headhunting may be structured as a custom search engagement, the commercial terms, timeline, deliverables, and any applicable guarantee will be expressly defined in the applicable agreement.

A passive-sourcing engagement does not automatically carry the Direct-Hire 60–90-day guarantee unless the applicable agreement expressly incorporates that protection.

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8. EMBEDDED & FRACTIONAL TALENT ADVISORY

Embedded and Fractional Talent Advisory is a consulting service rather than a standard placement-fee engagement.

Commercial structures may include:

Monthly retainer;

Project-based fee; or

Another mutually agreed advisory structure.

Services may include:

Talent acquisition workflow design;

ATS optimization;

Employer-brand alignment;

Candidate value proposition development;

Structured interview architecture;

Interview scorecards;

Compensation benchmarking; and

Talent strategy consulting.

These engagements are not automatically subject to a placement guarantee, because ATG is providing advisory services rather than guaranteeing an individual employment outcome.

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9. CANDIDATE PRESENTATION & OWNERSHIP

When ATG presents a candidate to a client, the candidate’s identity and relevant professional information are being provided for consideration within the applicable search.

If a client hires an ATG-presented candidate during the applicable candidate ownership period established in the Search Agreement, the placement may remain subject to ATG’s applicable placement fee even if the candidate is hired:

For the original position;

For a substantially similar position;

For another position within the client organization; or

Through another decision-maker or department within the organization.

The applicable Search Agreement should establish the precise candidate ownership period and circumstances.

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10. CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

ATG’s ability to execute a successful search depends on reasonable client participation.

Clients are expected to:

Provide accurate position requirements;

Confirm compensation parameters;

Identify decision-makers;

Provide timely feedback;

Maintain reasonable interview availability;

Communicate material changes to the position;

Provide accurate information regarding the organization and opportunity;

Notify ATG of candidate status changes;

Avoid misrepresenting the opportunity to candidates; and

Promptly notify ATG of any qualifying departure under a placement guarantee.

Material client delays or changes to the search may affect timelines, candidate availability, and the applicability of certain commercial commitments.

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11. CANDIDATE REJECTION & FINAL HIRING AUTHORITY

ATG identifies, evaluates, and presents candidates.

The client makes the final hiring decision.

ATG does not guarantee that a candidate will accept an offer, remain employed indefinitely, achieve a particular level of performance, or satisfy every subjective expectation of the client.

The client is responsible for conducting any final interviews, reference checks, background checks, employment verification, credential verification, and other pre-employment processes that the client requires unless expressly delegated to ATG in writing.

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12. GUARANTEE EXCLUSIONS

Unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing, a replacement guarantee generally does not apply where the candidate’s departure results from circumstances such as:

Elimination of the position;

Reduction in force;

Layoff;

Company closure;

Merger, acquisition, or restructuring;

Material reduction in compensation;

Material change in job responsibilities;

Material relocation imposed after hire;

Workplace conditions materially different from those represented during the search;

Client’s failure to satisfy agreed employment terms;

Voluntary resignation caused by circumstances attributable to the client;

Termination unrelated to the candidate’s qualifications or conduct where the agreement excludes such termination;

Client’s failure to comply with the applicable payment terms; or

Any other exclusion specifically stated in the executed Search Agreement.

The controlling guarantee provisions are those contained in the executed agreement.

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13. REPLACEMENT SEARCH LIMITATIONS

A replacement guarantee provides one replacement-search commitment for the applicable placement, unless the executed Search Agreement expressly provides otherwise.

The replacement candidate must generally be sought for the same or substantially similar position.

A material change in:

Job title;

Duties;

Compensation;

Location;

Reporting structure;

Employment arrangement;

Required qualifications; or

Other material employment conditions

may constitute a new search rather than a replacement search.

Any new search outside the scope of the original engagement may be subject to a new fee.

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14. NO DOUBLE FEE FOR A QUALIFYING REPLACEMENT

Where a replacement guarantee properly applies, ATG will not charge a second placement fee for the replacement candidate under that guarantee.

The original commercial agreement remains applicable to the replacement search unless otherwise agreed in writing.

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15. SEARCH PAUSE, CANCELLATION & TERMINATION

The applicable Search Agreement will establish the client’s rights and obligations regarding search pauses, cancellation, termination, and outstanding fees.

For retained or container engagements, work already performed and milestone payments may remain payable according to the executed agreement even if the client subsequently pauses or terminates the search.

For contingency searches, no placement fee is earned unless a qualifying placement occurs, subject to any other contractual obligations contained in the applicable agreement.

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16. COMMERCIAL TERMS CONTROL

This website describes ATG’s general commercial framework.

It is not a substitute for the executed Search Agreement.

The executed agreement will control the specific:

Placement fee;

Retainer;

Payment schedule;

Search scope;

Guarantee period;

Guarantee eligibility;

Candidate ownership period;

Replacement obligations;

Search duration;

Exclusivity;

Cancellation rights;

Expenses;

Client responsibilities; and

Other contractual terms.

If there is a conflict between this website and an executed agreement, the executed agreement controls.

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ATG’S COMMERCIAL PROMISE

We believe a professional search firm should be accountable from the beginning of the assignment through the critical early stage of the hire.

14-Business Day Shortlist Commitment

Active search execution and qualified candidate presentation within the applicable 14-business day framework.

60–90-Day Direct-Hire Protection

Replacement-search protection for qualifying Direct-Hire placements.

90-Day Executive Protection

Full candidate replacement protection for qualifying Executive Search placements.

Transparent Commercial Terms

The fee, payment schedule, scope, guarantee, and responsibilities are defined before the engagement begins.

Human Recruiting Judgment

Technology may support ATG’s recruiting workflow, but candidate evaluation and client recommendations remain subject to human recruiting judgment.

ATG

Talent Builds What’s Next®

Clear terms. Focused search. Accountable execution.