How recruitment agencies work in India — your questions answered

Most Indian recruitment agencies charge employers 8.33% to 16.67% of the candidate's annual CTC for permanent roles, typically payable after the candidate joins. Executive search and niche roles may carry higher fees. Expertalent does not charge candidates any fee — our services are paid by the hiring employer. We agree commercials up front in the first call so there are no surprises.

You share the role, budget, location and must-have skills. The agency maps the market, sources candidates from their database, referrals and passive talent pools, screens each profile (skills, CTC, notice period, location), and sends you a shortlist of interview-ready candidates. The agency coordinates interviews, offer discussions and follows up until the candidate joins. Expertalent delivers the first shortlist within 48 working hours.

A legitimate recruitment agency does not charge candidates. Expertalent never charges job seekers — our fee is paid by the hiring employer. If any agency asks a candidate for a registration fee or placement charge, that is a red flag. You should report it and not pay.

For most roles, Expertalent delivers the first screened shortlist within 48 working hours. Niche or senior roles may take a few days longer because we verify each profile before sending it. We set realistic timelines in the first call so you know what to expect.

We recruit across India — Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR (Gurugram, Noida), Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and the Chandigarh Tricity. We also handle remote and pan-India roles, and we recruit for plants and branch offices in tier-2 cities.

Contract staffing and contract-to-hire arrangements are coming soon. We're currently focused on permanent recruitment and executive search. If you have a contract requirement, we'd still like to hear from you — we can refer trusted partners or notify you the moment this service goes live.

We recruit across Information Technology, BFSI and Fintech, Manufacturing and Engineering, Sales and FMCG, Healthcare and Pharma, Real Estate, Logistics, and Startups and D2C. Our consultants have sector-specific experience, so they understand the skills, salary bands and hiring patterns in each industry.

HR outsourcing (payroll, PF, ESIC, PT compliance, onboarding and HR policy support) and training programmes are coming soon. Today, we're focused on permanent recruitment, executive search and bulk hiring. Reach out if you'd like to be notified when these services go live — or if we can help with a hiring requirement in the meantime.

For employers: share the role, location and budget on our Post a Requirement page or call us. We'll respond within one working day. For candidates: upload your CV on the Submit Your CV page and we'll match you with relevant openings. There is no cost to start.

Yes. Expertalent is an India-focused recruitment and HR consulting firm. We operate with employer-paid fees, transparent commercials and written confirmations. We do not ask candidates for money at any stage of the process.