For most roles on Recruitful, the right success fee sits between $3,000 and 12% of the role’s base salary. Where you land in that range depends on your budget, how fast you need someone, and how hard the role is to fill.
On Recruitful you set your own success fee: the amount you’ll pay when your new hire starts. That freedom is the biggest advantage of the platform. It’s also the decision employers most often get wrong.
The success fee is the first thing a recruiter looks at. Specialist recruiters across NZ are choosing between your job and dozens of others. Set it too low and the good ones scroll past. Set it right and you’ll get strong quotes from people who actually know your trade.
This guide builds on our practical guide to winning on Recruitful and gives you a clear way to pick your number.
New to Recruitful? It works like Builderscrack, but for hiring. You list your job, specialist recruiters come to you with quotes, and you pick one, or none.
The range: $3,000 to 12% of salary
The floor is about $3,000. Below that, most experienced recruiters won’t take the job on. Sourcing, screening, reference checks and keeping a candidate warm through to start day take real hours, whatever the salary.
The ceiling is about 12% of base salary. That’s roughly the lowest percentage recruiters accept when working a role through a traditional agency arrangement, where fees typically run 15–20%. Going above 12% on Recruitful rarely buys you better results. You’d be paying agency money without needing to.
Your success fee is a fixed dollar amount, not a percentage. The percentages here are just a way to work out a sensible figure for your role.
Here’s how the range breaks into three bands:
| Band | Success fee (% of base salary) | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 5–7% (minimum $3,000) | Common role, reasonable timeframe, easy-to-reach location |
| Competitive | 7–10% | Specialist skills, a start date within weeks, or a smaller town |
| Priority | 10–12% | Hard-to-find people, an urgent start, or a role that’s been sitting open |
Your success fee is a signal, not a fixed price
Recruiters can quote a different figure when they come back to you. So you won’t necessarily get quotes at exactly your success fee, and that’s how it’s meant to work.
The number you post tells the market what the role is worth to you and how seriously you’re hiring. It decides which recruiters look closely and what they come back with.
- Some will come in higher. Usually because the role is harder to fill than it looks, or they’re confident they can deliver fast. Their quote should explain why.
- Some will come in lower. Often because they already have a strong candidate in mind and want to win your business.
Either way, you choose the quote that offers the best mix of price, candidate quality and speed, or none at all. A realistic success fee means more recruiters respond, which gives you more options to compare.
Remember: the recruiter doesn’t keep all of it
When you make a successful hire, part of your success fee covers Recruitful’s platform fee. The recruiter’s take is the success fee less the platform fee.
That’s why the $3,000 floor matters. A success fee that looks fine on paper can leave the recruiter with too little to justify the work once the fee is taken out. When you’re torn between two numbers, go with the higher one. The difference to you is small. To a recruiter deciding which jobs to work this week, it’s often the deciding factor.
The good news is you’re still paying far less than a typical agency fee, and nothing at all unless you hire.
What moves your number up or down
Start in the Standard band. If one or two of these apply to your role, move up to Competitive. If three or more apply, go to Priority.
- Urgency. You need someone in weeks, not months, or a project is held up until you fill the seat.
- Scarce skills. The role needs a licence, registration or specialist ticket that’s in short supply (think registered electricians, plumbers and gasfitters, or experienced site and project managers).
- Location. The job is outside the main centres, or in a town where housing makes relocation hard.
- Seniority. It’s a leadership or management role where the wrong hire costs you far more than the success fee.
- Time on the market. You’ve already advertised for a few weeks without the right applicants.
- Cost of the empty seat. Every week the role sits open, you’re turning down work or burning out your current team.
And a few reasons to stay at the lower end:
- You’ve got time and can wait for the right person.
- The role is common and the pay is at or above market.
- You’re hiring several people for the same role and want to keep total cost in check.
Budget is the final check. Work out what an empty seat costs you each week in lost work or overtime. Compare that with the success fee. If a few weeks of lost work costs more than the step up to the next band, the higher success fee is the cheaper option.
Quick reference: success fee by salary
Find the base salary closest to your role, then pick the band that fits. Figures are rounded and assume the $3,000 floor.
| Base salary | Standard (5–7%) | Competitive (7–10%) | Priority (10–12%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $55,000 | $3,000–$3,900 | $3,900–$5,500 | $5,500–$6,600 |
| $65,000 | $3,300–$4,600 | $4,600–$6,500 | $6,500–$7,800 |
| $75,000 | $3,800–$5,300 | $5,300–$7,500 | $7,500–$9,000 |
| $90,000 | $4,500–$6,300 | $6,300–$9,000 | $9,000–$10,800 |
| $110,000 | $5,500–$7,700 | $7,700–$11,000 | $11,000–$13,200 |
| $130,000 | $6,500–$9,100 | $9,100–$13,000 | $13,000–$15,600 |
Example 1: a carpenter in Hamilton
A residential builder needs a qualified carpenter on $70,000. The pipeline is steady and they can wait a couple of months for the right person. None of the factors apply, so they stay in Standard: a success fee of $4,000 is a solid, credible offer.
Example 2: an electrician in Central Otago
A commercial contractor needs a registered electrician on $85,000 to start on a job in three weeks. It’s urgent, the skill is scarce and the location is regional. That’s three factors, so they go to Priority: a success fee of $9,000–$10,000 puts the role at the top of recruiters’ lists.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Going under $3,000. You’ll get few quotes, and often not from the recruiters you want.
- Copying agency rates. Paying 15–20% defeats the point. Above 12% you’re rarely getting anything extra.
- Forgetting the platform fee. The recruiter receives your success fee less Recruitful’s fee, so leave room for it.
- Pricing the role, not the problem. A $65,000 role that’s holding up a $500,000 job isn’t a $3,000 problem.
- Waiting too long to adjust. If quotes are thin after the first week, lift your success fee rather than letting the role go stale.
Ready to set your success fee?
Pick your salary, choose your band, and list your job. It’s free to list, you set the fee, and you only pay when your new hire starts. Not sure what to offer? Call or text Ash on 022 418 3852 and he’ll suggest a number.