Is posting on Indeed free for employers?

Within limits. Sponsored jobs are pay-per-click, with daily budgets of $5-$499 a day, and free posts have been capped since December 2025.

Why don't proven closers apply to job posts?

Some do, usually between jobs. A closer who's doing well where they are has little reason to scroll job boards, so they rarely see your post. They'll still move for better leads, a fairer pay plan or a company that treats them well, if someone shows them the opportunity. That's how Level works: we headhunt them.

What does a sales recruiter cost compared with Indeed?

Contingency recruiters typically charge 15-25% of first-year base salary, paid when you hire. With Level there's nothing upfront: you pay only when you hire.

Yes. Post for canvassers and trainees, and use a recruiter for closer seats where a bad hire burns your best leads.

How do I screen Indeed applicants for a closer seat?

Ask for numbers before the interview: close rate by lead source, what they sold in the last 12 months, average ticket. Ask for commission statements or W-2s before you make an offer, and call references. When Level fills the seat, we verify close rate and pay history and check references before you meet anyone.

Compare

Sales recruiter vs posting on Indeed

Posting on Indeed is a low-cost way to get a lot of applicants. It reaches proven closers less often, because the good ones are usually busy closing somewhere else. A recruiter costs more per hire, and it pays off when the seat needs someone with a track record of selling.

Get reps How pricing works

The short answer

Which one fits your seat.

Post on Indeed when

You're hiring canvassers or green reps you plan to train
Your leads and pay plan are strong enough to sell the job in a post
Someone on your team has hours each week to screen and call back
You hire often and want a steady flow of applicants

Use a recruiter when

The seat needs a proven closer in your trade, not a trainee
You want close rate and pay checked before you spend an interview
The person you want is employed and won't answer a post
Every week the territory sits empty costs more than the fee

Side by side

Indeed, a recruiter and Level, row by row.

Every figure comes from a named source.

Post on Indeed compared with Contingency sales recruiter compared with Level, row by row
Compared on	Post on Indeed	Contingency sales recruiter	Level
How you pay	Sponsored jobs are pay-per-click, with budgets of $5-$499 a day. Free posts are capped each month.	Typically 15-25% of first-year base salary, when you hire.	Nothing upfront. A one-time placement fee per hire, paid only when you hire.
Who you reach	People actively looking, from any industry.	Can include employed people who aren't applying anywhere.	Top-performing reps at the strongest companies in your trade and market. We headhunt them and convince them to move.
Who screens	You do. Every résumé, every phone screen, every no-show.	The recruiter, to their own standard. Ask what they actually check.	We verify close-rate history, pay history (commission statements or W-2s) and references before you meet anyone.
Trade knowledge	None. The post has to do the selling.	Varies. Many sales recruiters also fill roles far outside home services.	Home service sales roles only: closers, managers, canvassers.
If the hire doesn't work out	You post again and pay for clicks again.	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.
Time to fill	Applicants can arrive the day you post. Finding a closer among them is the slow part.	Depends on the seat and the market. Across all roles, SHRM puts the average at About 1.5 months.	First candidate: within 7 days of onboarding and getting your job description. Typical time to hire: 21 days. Both vary by role and market.
Your time	High: writing the post, screening, scheduling, chasing.	Lower: you interview a shortlist.	You interview a shortlist and make the call.

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

The real cost of a post

The click budget is the small number.

The bigger number is the weeks a territory sits without a closer while you sort applicants. Leads go unrun, or the owner runs them at night.

You're also not posting alone. 55% of residential roofers recruit through online job postings, and 38% list a lack of qualified workers among their top challenges. Your post sits next to theirs.

Work out what an empty territory costs you

A common myth

"The good reps are all employed." That's where we find them.

Plenty of owners skip the search because the best salespeople already have jobs. They do, and that's exactly where the best hires come from.

Top reps aren't scrolling job boards. They move when someone shows them a better opportunity: steadier leads, a fairer pay plan, a company that treats them well. That's why Level headhunts instead of posting ads. We go to the strongest reps at the best companies in your trade, show them what your seat offers, and bring you the ones whose numbers check out.

Being straight with you

When Indeed is the better choice

A recruiter isn't always worth it. Post the job yourself when:

You hire canvassers in batches
If you hire door knockers in groups and train them yourself, a post and a fast phone screen is a sensible way to do it. You don't need a track record for that seat.
You're building a training program
If you'd rather hire green and teach your system, don't pay a fee for experience you plan to replace with your own.
Your offer sells itself
Company leads, a clear territory and a pay plan that pays on time. Put those in the post and it does more of the work.
Someone owns the screening
An office manager or sales manager with real hours each week to read applications, call people back and run first interviews.

If you go this way

If you post, write it for a closer

Strong reps read a job post the way they read a lead sheet. Give them what they'd ask on the first call:

01Where the leads come from and how many issued appointments a week a rep can expect.
02The territory, and whether it's shared.
03The pay plan with a worked example, and when commission actually pays.
04Ask applicants for numbers up front: close rate by lead source and what they sold in the last 12 months.
05Before any offer, ask for commission statements or W-2s. Then run your own ride-along or role-play.

FAQ

Common questions.

Is posting on Indeed free for employers?
Within limits. Sponsored jobs are pay-per-click, with daily budgets of $5-$499 a day, and free posts have been capped since December 2025.
Why don't proven closers apply to job posts?
Some do, usually between jobs. A closer who's doing well where they are has little reason to scroll job boards, so they rarely see your post. They'll still move for better leads, a fairer pay plan or a company that treats them well, if someone shows them the opportunity. That's how Level works: we headhunt them.
What does a sales recruiter cost compared with Indeed?
Contingency recruiters typically charge 15-25% of first-year base salary, paid when you hire. With Level there's nothing upfront: you pay only when you hire.
Can I use both?
Yes. Post for canvassers and trainees, and use a recruiter for closer seats where a bad hire burns your best leads.
How do I screen Indeed applicants for a closer seat?
Ask for numbers before the interview: close rate by lead source, what they sold in the last 12 months, average ticket. Ask for commission statements or W-2s before you make an offer, and call references. When Level fills the seat, we verify close rate and pay history and check references before you meet anyone.

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