Contract-to-hire
Data Center Headhunters recruits critical facilities, data center operations, construction and delivery, commissioning, power and cooling, and executive talent for colocation, hyperscale and enterprise sites. We research the market, contact working people and qualify a shortlist for your opening. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
You want to see someone work before you commit to a permanent seat, and you want the option to keep them if the match is good.
This is what we do all day: recruit data center professionals.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Data centers only, construction to operations
- Local and 100% travel candidates
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
What does this hire really come down to?
We arrange contract to hire when a client asks for it. It suits seats where you are unsure about fit, where the candidate is changing fields or where the budget for a permanent hire is not yet approved. The person starts under an agreed arrangement and moves to permanent employment with you if both sides agree.
The specific terms depend on the assignment. The benefit is real information. You see how the person handles your people, your site and your pressure, and they see the same about you. The cost is that the best candidates often decline a trial. People with options usually prefer a permanent offer. The model works best for people who are between roles, switching trades or eager to prove themselves.
Be honest about intent. If you are likely to hire, say so. If you are only testing a budget, say that as well. Candidates who feel used leave early and tell others, and the cost to your reputation outlasts the assignment. Tell the candidate where the seat sits in the company and who they would report to once permanent.
What do we check before you see anyone?
Decide what you will judge during the trial. Name two or three outcomes that would make you hire, such as handling a shutdown or leading a shift. Name who will give feedback and when. A trial with no conversation leaves the person guessing and you without evidence.
- Decide what you will judge during the trial. Name two or three outcomes that would make you hire, such as handling a shutdown or leading a shift.
- Name who will give feedback and when. A trial with no conversation leaves the person guessing and you without evidence.
- Agree how the move to permanent will work, including the pay level you expect and what will change.
- Be clear about the seat. If the permanent role does not exist unless the trial goes well, say so.
- Prepare onboarding as for a permanent hire. A trial that skips onboarding tests the onboarding, not the person.
- Consider licensing and site requirements before the start, since they may delay the trial.
- Tell us if the permanent budget needs approval. A trial that ends because paperwork was not ready is a loss for both sides.
- Plan a mid trial review. Waiting to the end leaves no room to correct course.
- Decide who in your team will own the candidate's first weeks, because trials fail when nobody feels responsible.
Where do we find these candidates?
Candidates for this model are often people moving between fields, such as a military veteran entering critical facilities, a tradesperson stepping into supervision or an engineer joining a new sector. Others are people between jobs who accept a trial to rebuild momentum. A few are strong candidates who want to see the culture first.
They accept when the path to permanent is clear and the site is organized. They decline when the trial seems like a way to avoid commitment. A named permanent role and a plain statement of what success looks like draw better people. Candidates also weigh how the company treated its last trial hire, and people share that.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
Do not offer a trial with no real intent to hire, which damages trust with every candidate who hears about it. Do not skip feedback conversations, then deciding on a feeling. Do not set a permanent pay level far below the trial rate, which ends good trials badly.
- Offering a trial with no real intent to hire, which damages trust with every candidate who hears about it.
- Skipping feedback conversations, then deciding on a feeling.
- Setting a permanent pay level far below the trial rate, which ends good trials badly.
How the search runs
Define the seat and the test
We discuss the permanent role and the outcomes you want to see, and we write them down.
Find the right candidates
We look for people for whom a trial makes sense and explain the model to them.
Agree the path
We help you describe the move to permanent, so both sides know what happens if it goes well.
Questions
How does the move to permanent work?
The terms are written into the agreement for the assignment. Tell us what pay and role you expect, and we will describe how it could be written.
Who employs the person during the trial?
That depends on the arrangement agreed for the assignment. We lay out the choices with you before anything starts, since each has different effects on your payroll and obligations.
What if the trial does not work out?
Both sides part according to the agreement. Clear feedback during the trial prevents surprises.
Does a permanent fee apply after a trial?
The shared terms and the assignment agreement describe it. Ask us to walk through the case before you begin, so there are no surprises.
Which candidates accept a trial?
Often people between roles or changing fields. People with competing offers tend to prefer permanent.
When is contract to hire the wrong model?
When the seat is critical and you cannot afford a failed trial, or when you are unlikely to hire. In those cases a direct hire or a plain contract is more honest.
Which roles suit this engagement?
Contract to hire lets both sides test fit on the floor. These seats are where a working trial tells you most.
How a search runs
How does The Six-Step Search work?
Every search runs the same six steps. We agree the brief with you, map where the people work, find direct contact routes, reach out personally and repeatedly, then qualify each candidate live. You only see a short list of people who fit, with notes on each, and we stay with you through offer and start.
- 01
Search Calibration
You get: A written brief you sign off on: scope, must-haves, pay band and who not to approach.
- 02
Market Mapping
You get: A map of the companies and projects where your future hire is working today.
- 03
Professional Contact Intelligence
You get: Verified direct contact routes to the people on that map, not job board replies.
- 04
Persistent Personalized Outreach
You get: Repeated, role-specific outreach to people who are not looking, in your words.
- 05
Live Candidate Qualification
You get: Each candidate is screened live against your brief before you hear their name.
- 06
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get: A short list with candidate briefs, then support through interviews, offer and start.
What should you know before you send a role?
How long until I see a short list?
It depends on the role, the location and the market. We agree a realistic timeline with you during Search Calibration and keep you updated as the search runs.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We talk through motivation, pay and counteroffer risk with each candidate during live qualification and again before an offer, so you hear about the risk before it surprises you.
Is there a guarantee?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What don't you do?
We do not post your job on boards, send stacks of unscreened resumes or charge an upfront fee. We do not approach candidates for your search before the brief is agreed with you.
Need this person?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.