Calculator

What does the hire actually cost you?

Your numbers, not ours. Nothing here is sent anywhere — the arithmetic happens in your browser.

Your numbers

€70,000

Per hire, before variable pay

5

Roles you actually expect to fill

25%

The published market range for contingency search in Germany is 20–30%

€90,000

Salary plus employer costs, tools and benefits — per year

What each route costs

  • WhyBrilliant

    €7,000 per hire

    €35,000 for all hires

    10% of first-year base, due only on hire. Refunded in full if the hire leaves inside 90 days, and no fee at all for someone already in your pipeline.

    The arithmetic: 5 × €70,000 × 10%

  • Recruiting agency

    €17,500 per hire

    €87,500 for all hires

    At the rate you set, due on hire. A replacement search rather than money back is the usual term if the hire leaves early.

    The arithmetic: 5 × €70,000 × 25%

  • In-house recruiter

    €18,000 per hire

    €90,000 for all hires

    The annual cost divided by the hires they actually close. Add two to three months before the first shortlist, and the cost continues through a quarter with no hiring.

    The arithmetic: €90,000 ÷ 5 hires

  • Posting it yourself

    Listing fees are the small part. The real cost is the screening time, which comes out of someone you already pay — so this route is cheapest on paper and rarely cheapest in practice.

You keep

€52,500

against the agency rate you set

Where an in-house recruiter becomes the better deal

At your numbers, a recruiter costs less per hire from 13 hires a year upward. Below that, a fee per hire is cheaper — and we would tell you the same on a call.

Worth a conversation?

Twenty minutes on the actual role. No preparation needed, and no obligation — a small team on the other end, no call centre.

Worth a conversation?

Twenty minutes on the actual role. No preparation needed, and no obligation — a small team on the other end, no call centre.

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