How do executive recruiters get paid?

Executive recruiters get paid by clients who need recruiting services. There are two basic contract types you can set up with your clients as an executive recruiter. The first is a contingency recruiting agreement, in which the client pays you when a candidate is successfully placed at their company. The other type of contract is a retained recruiting agreement, in which the client pays you part of the fee upfront and the rest at specific intervals. In retained agreements, the second payment often comes when you provide a shortlist of candidates to the client, and the third and final payment occurs when a candidate is successfully placed in a position at the company.