How much does an in-house recruiter cost?

One roofing company's posting for a sales recruiting manager advertises $100,000-$120,000 in total pay. Add job ad spend, software and the sales manager's time spent training them on what a good rep looks like.

How many hires a year justify a recruiter on staff?

Divide the full cost of the seat by the hires you'll really make. As a round example, a $110,000 seat that lands 10 reps a year is $11,000 per hire; at 4 reps it's $27,500. Compare that with a partner's fee per hire.

Do recruiting agencies charge a percentage of salary?

Contingency recruiters typically charge 15-25% of first-year base salary. On a commission-heavy sales role, base salary can be a small part of what the rep earns. With Level, you pay only when you hire.

Can an in-house recruiter fill sales seats well?

Yes, if they're judged on the right thing. The roofing posting above judges its recruiter on reps still in the field at 30 and 90 days, not on applicants or interviews booked. Give them the same close-rate and pay checks you'd expect from a partner.

What does a recruiting partner add?

Reach outside your own market and network, focus on the one seat you need filled, and a cost that stops when you stop hiring. Level also goes after reps who aren't looking. The best ones are usually employed and doing well, and they move when someone shows them a better opportunity, so we headhunt rather than post ads.

Compare

In-house recruiter vs recruiting partner

A recruiter on staff pays off when you hire reps every month, all year. Below that, you're paying a full salary for a seat that's busy part of the time. Here's the math, with sources.

Get reps How pricing works

The short answer

Which one fits your seat.

Hire a recruiter on staff when

You hire every month, all year, not only before the season
You also need technicians, CSRs and office staff filled
You want one person to own your careers page, employer brand and onboarding
A sales manager will coach that recruiter on what a good closer looks like

Use a recruiting partner when

You want reps who are doing well somewhere else, not just the ones applying
You hire a handful of closers a year, often in bursts
You'd rather pay per hire than carry a salary
You're opening a branch where nobody on your team knows the local reps
You want close rate and pay checked before you spend an interview

Side by side

On your payroll, on contingency, or Level.

Every figure comes from a named source.

In-house recruiter compared with Contingency recruiter compared with Level, row by row
Compared on	In-house recruiter	Contingency recruiter	Level
What the recruiting costs	One roofing company advertises $100,000-$120,000 total pay for a sales recruiting manager.	Typically 15-25% of first-year base salary per hire.	Nothing upfront. A one-time placement fee per hire, paid only when you hire.
When you pay	Every payday, whether or not anyone is hired.	When you hire.	Only when you hire.
Job ads and sourcing	On top of salary: Indeed sponsored jobs run $5-$499 a day, and recruitment-marketing agencies serving roofers start at $2,500-$8,625+ a month.	Sourcing is the recruiter's job.	Sourcing is our job. We headhunt top reps at the strongest companies in your trade, including the ones who aren't looking.
If a hire doesn't work out	Your recruiter starts again. The salary keeps running.	Replacement guarantees typically run 60-90 days.	One free replacement if the rep is let go for performance within 60 days of their first day.
Trade knowledge	Grows over time, if the recruiter stays.	Varies. Many also fill roles far outside home services.	Home service sales roles only.
What it's judged on	The same roofing posting judges its recruiter on reps still in the field at 30 and 90 days.	Usually the placement. Ask what happens after the guarantee.	Reps whose close rate, pay history and references we checked before you met them.

Recruiter figures are market norms, not any one firm’s terms. Level’s terms are on the pricing and guarantee pages.

Do the per-hire math

Hiring volume decides it.

Divide what the recruiter seat costs in a year, salary plus ads plus tools, by the reps you'll actually hire. That's your cost per hire. Then compare it with a partner's fee.

Volume is rarely zero. Sales seats turn over (B2B sales teams average 35% a year turnover), so even a steady team keeps hiring. Most successful roofing sales leaders in one Leap survey aim to hire 1-3 reps a month. If you hire at that pace, a recruiter on staff starts to make sense.

Worked example

Example, round numbers: a recruiter seat that costs $110,000 a year and lands 10 reps works out to $11,000 per hire before ad spend. The same seat landing 4 reps is $27,500 per hire.

Being straight with you

When an in-house recruiter is the better choice

A partner isn't always cheaper. Keep recruiting in-house when:

You hire every month
A multi-crew roofer or a growing HVAC shop adding reps, techs and CSRs all year can keep a recruiter busy. Busy is what makes the salary worth it.
Most of your hiring isn't sales
Level only places field sales roles. If most of your openings are technicians, installers and office staff, an in-house recruiter covers far more of them.
You want an employer brand
Careers page, reviews, referral program, campus and trade-school relationships. That's long-term work for someone on your payroll.
You have HR to support it
A recruiter works best with someone to hand hires to: onboarding, payroll setup and a sales manager ready to ride along in week one.

If you go this way

One workable split

You don't have to choose one for everything:

01Keep technicians, installers, CSRs and office roles with an in-house recruiter or your office manager.
02Use a partner for closer and sales manager seats, where a bad hire costs you leads as well as salary.
03Judge both the same way: reps still selling at 30 and 90 days, not résumés sent.

FAQ

Common questions.

How much does an in-house recruiter cost?
One roofing company's posting for a sales recruiting manager advertises $100,000-$120,000 in total pay. Add job ad spend, software and the sales manager's time spent training them on what a good rep looks like.
How many hires a year justify a recruiter on staff?
Divide the full cost of the seat by the hires you'll really make. As a round example, a $110,000 seat that lands 10 reps a year is $11,000 per hire; at 4 reps it's $27,500. Compare that with a partner's fee per hire.
Do recruiting agencies charge a percentage of salary?
Contingency recruiters typically charge 15-25% of first-year base salary. On a commission-heavy sales role, base salary can be a small part of what the rep earns. With Level, you pay only when you hire.
Can an in-house recruiter fill sales seats well?
Yes, if they're judged on the right thing. The roofing posting above judges its recruiter on reps still in the field at 30 and 90 days, not on applicants or interviews booked. Give them the same close-rate and pay checks you'd expect from a partner.
What does a recruiting partner add?
Reach outside your own market and network, focus on the one seat you need filled, and a cost that stops when you stop hiring. Level also goes after reps who aren't looking. The best ones are usually employed and doing well, and they move when someone shows them a better opportunity, so we headhunt rather than post ads.

Get closers in front of your leads.

Tell us the seat. We headhunt proven closers who already sell in your trade and check their close rate, pay history and references before you meet them. You pay only when you hire.

Get reps See how it works

Only home service sales roles
Close rate, pay history and references checked
You pay only when you hire
Free replacement if they don’t perform in 60 days