Contingency Recruiting: A Strategic Approach to Talent Acquisition
When you work with me and my team at CareerGuise for contingency recruiting, you only pay when I successfully place the right candidate. This approach minimizes your risk and ensures you get top talent without any upfront investment.
Success rate in placing candidates in key roles.
Unlock Top Talent with CareerGuise's Contingency Recruiting Advantage
Cost
ZERO upfront cost, only upon successful candidate placement.
Risk
NONE, if we don’t perform, it doesn’t cost you anything.
Case Studies
Click or tap each item to explore our impactful case studies showcasing how CareerGuise has solved problems, implemented tailored solutions and created favorable outcomes for our coprorate clients.
Case Study 1: Scaling Study.com’s Team by 40% in 18 Months
Client: Study.com
Role: Director of Talent Acquisition
Engagement Type: Contingency Recruiting → Embedded Leadership
Timeframe: May 2022 – November 2023
The Challenge:
Study.com was a growing EdTech company with just 70 employees when I joined as Director of Talent Acquisition. The business was facing rapid demand and needed to scale quickly but was working with an outdated ATS (Jazz) and inefficient recruiting processes. Executive roles were sitting open, hiring workflows were inconsistent, and candidate drop-off was high. The company needed to modernize its approach while maintaining tight budget controls.
The Approach:
I immediately recommended an ATS upgrade. After evaluating options, I led the migration to Lever, a more modern and scalable platform that improved both internal workflows and the candidate experience. I stepped in to manage a team ofthree recruiters and one coordinator, took full ownership of executive hiring, and created clear systems for hiring both full-time employees and international contractors.
Key initiatives included:
- Migrated the company from Jazz to Lever, resulting in faster time-to-hire and better visibility
- Personally filled all executive roles
- Implemented smarter budget management for tools like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Lever
- Developed new contractor hiring processes for global teams in the U.S., Philippines, and India
- Focused the team on targeted sourcing, streamlined workflows, and consistent communication with hiring managers
The Outcome:
- Hired 60 employees in 18 months, growing the workforce from 70 to 130, a 40%+ increase
- Reduced time-to-hire by 30% with improved systems and candidate tracking
- Lowered candidate drop-off by 25%, keeping the recruiting funnel healthy and momentum strong
- Filled multiple executive roles that brought stability and vision to the company’s leadership
- Helped position Study.com for long-term global growth with scalable contractor onboarding processes
- All hiring stayed within budget, delivering efficiency and impact without overspending
Key Takeaways:
This engagement shows how strategic recruiting leadership can transform a growing company. By modernizing tools, optimizing team performance, and staying aligned with business goals, I helped Study.com scale with precision and purpose. It wasn’t just about hiring fast, it was about building a long-term foundation for success.
Case Study: Strategic VP of IT Hire at Pendo
Client: Pendo
Function: Information Technology
Role: VP of IT
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
The Challenge:
Pendo was at a pivotal growth stage and needed a transformational VP of IT to build and scale their internal systems, infrastructure, and technology strategy. The role was high-stakes, requiring a seasoned leader with both startup agility and enterprise-scale experience, who would also be willing to relocate to North Carolina. I was the Senior Recruiter chosen to lead the search.
The Approach:
I treated this search like a full executive-level engagement, beginning with a comprehensive market mapping exercise. I identified 75 potential candidates across the U.S. who met the baseline requirements in terms of experience, leadership ability, and cultural fit.
From there, I:
- Narrowed the list to 45 qualified matches and reached out with personalized messaging
- Held exploratory conversations with 20 engaged candidates
- Identified 15 top contenders who were not only qualified but also open to relocating
- Personally, interviewed all 15 to assess leadership style, technical depth, and cultural alignment
After deep evaluation, I submitted a short list of 5 highly vetted finalists, all of whom advanced through the company’s full interview process.
The Outcome:
The search came down to two strong contenders. Through close collaboration with Pendo’s executive team and a tailored candidate experience, we successfully secured our top choice, a candidate who brought the right blend of strategic vision and executional excellence. He accepted the offer and is still thriving in the role four years later, continuing to make a lasting impact.
Key Takeaways:
This engagement demonstrates the value of a meticulous, relationship-driven search process, especially for critical leadership roles. From market mapping to final negotiation, I functioned as a true talent partner, helping Pendo land a key executive who’s played a central role in their continued success.
Case Study 2: Building a Leadership Team & Navigating a Pandemic at Trianz
Client: Trianz & Trasers
Functions: Executive Recruiting, HR Leadership
Engagement Type: Contingency Recruiting → Embedded Leadership
Timeframe: 2019–2020
The Challenge:
Trasers, a newly formed research subsidiary of Trianz, needed to stand up its leadership team from scratch. With no internal recruiting infrastructure and aggressive timelines, they brought me in as Director of Talent Acquisition to build out their executive bench and drive talent strategy.
The initial scope was focused on Trasers, but after 11 months of successful delivery, I was promoted to leadRecruiting and HR for the entire Trianz organization , a global $90M consulting firm with over 1,600 employees across the U.S. and India. I assumed this expanded role in January 2020, just before the world was turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Approach:
At Trasers, I led all recruiting efforts and hired the founding leadership team, including:
- Head of Marketing
- Head of Lead Generation
- Head of Inside Sales
These hires laid the foundation for the company’s go-to-market strategy and early revenue operations.
After transitioning to Head of HR & Talent Acquisition for Trianz, I:
- Built strategic talent pipelines to support Trianz’s evolving business priorities
- Hired three Sales Leaders to lead individual practices and drive new growth
- Recruited a Head of Consulting, a mission-critical role to unify delivery teams and client outcomes
- Managed both HR and Talent functions for a global workforce, including navigating remote work transitions, employee engagement, and hiring freezes during the early uncertainty of the pandemic
The Outcome:
- Successfully staffed Trasers’ leadership team, enabling it to move from concept to full operational launch
- Secured high-impact hires at Trianz, even during the market volatility of COVID’s first year
- Maintained talent continuity and employee morale during unprecedented disruption
- Proved my ability to operate at both strategic and executional levels across HR and Recruiting
Key Takeaways:
This engagement highlights my ability to lead from the front , whether it’s building a team from the ground up, stepping into broader HR leadership, or navigating a global crisis. Clients turn to me when they need a steady, experienced hand to deliver real results, especially when the stakes are high, and the path forward is unclear.
Case Study 3: Building the Talent Engine from the Ground Up at RiskIQ
Client: RiskIQ (Cybersecurity Startup)
Role: Director of Talent Acquisition
Engagement Type: First Recruiting Hire → Talent Infrastructure Buildout
Timeframe: March 2014 – May 2016
The Challenge:
When I joined RiskIQ as employee #39, the company had no formal recruiting infrastructure, no team, no systems, no consistent process. As a fast-growing cybersecurity startup based in San Francisco, RiskIQ needed to scale rapidly and strategically, but lacked the internal resources to do so efficiently. I was brought in as the company’s first-ever recruiting hire, reporting directly to the CFO, with a mission to build the talent function from the ground up.
The Approach:
From day one, I focused on building a best-in-class recruiting platform to support rapid growth and improve candidate experience. Key initiatives included:
- Developed the full recruiting lifecycle, from outreach and sourcing to offer negotiation and onboarding
- Replaced Jobvite with Greenhouse, resulting in streamlined workflows and a better experience for both candidates and hiring teams
- Implemented HireRight and Parklet to improve background checks and onboarding
- Elevated our Glassdoor rating from 3.0 to over 4.5 stars through candidate experience improvements and internal culture initiatives
- Built and led a high-performing recruiting team, including:
- 3 Senior Recruiters (focused on Sales, Engineering, and Support/Marketing)
- 2 Sourcers
- 1 Recruiting Coordinator
- Standardized the interview process across departments by designing a framework focused on role-specific attributes and competencies — still used by RiskIQ hiring managers today
The Outcome:
- Hired 74 people in 22 months, spanning roles in San Francisco, Kansas City, London, and remote
- Saved $500,000 in agency fees by building a strong internal team and shifting hiring in-house
- Successfully filled key leadership roles including:
- Head of Sales Operations
- Director of Inside Sales
- Head of Product Marketing
Key Takeaways:
This was a classic case of building the plane while flying it. By establishing scalable systems, recruiting the right team, and embedding a thoughtful process, I helped RiskIQ grow strategically while reducing costs and improving brand perception. It’s a great example of how investing early in the right recruiting leadership can set a startup up for long-term success.
Ready to Hire Top Talent Without the Risk?
When you work with me and my team, you gain a proven strategist who delivers.
With over 20 years of talent acquisition experience, I ensure you get top candidates for your promotions, new roles, or leadership positions without any upfront risk.
The only time you’re required to invest is when we place the right person, leveraging my extensive network and expertise to minimize your effort and maximize your success.