Frequently Asked
Questions

ISG operates on a flat monthly fee model rather than traditional percentage-based contingency fees. This means you pay a predictable, fixed rate regardless of how many hires you make—giving you full cost transparency and dramatically reducing your cost per hire.

Clients typically save 50–80% compared to traditional contingency-based agencies. Because you're paying a flat monthly rate, you avoid the large percentage fees (usually 15–25% of base salary) charged per hire, which adds up fast at scale.

No. ISG offers month-to-month engagements, so you can scale up or down based on your hiring needs without being locked into a long-term contract. This makes us ideal for companies in growth sprints or with unpredictable hiring cycles.

Your flat fee covers a fully dedicated recruiter focused on 6 –10 open roles at any one time, end-to-end sourcing, screening, interview scheduling, and account management and leadership support throughout the engagement.

Absolutely not. ISG is contracted and paid entirely by the client company. Candidates use our services at zero cost, which means we attract top talent without any financial barrier.

The On-Demand Recruiter model gives you a dedicated, fully embedded recruiter who works exclusively on building your team. Unlike staffing agencies that split attention across dozens of clients, your ISG recruiter is 100% focused on your roles, your culture, and your hiring goals.

ISG recruiters are built to ramp fast. We deploy experienced recruiters who can integrate into your existing team and begin sourcing qualified candidates almost immediately—ideal when you're in growth mode and can't afford delays.

Traditional agencies charge per hire and often split focus across many clients. ISG gives you a dedicated recruiter for a flat monthly fee, embedded into your team, fully aligned with your goals—more like an internal hire than an outside vendor.

Yes. ISG is built to integrate seamlessly alongside your internal team. Whether you need to handle a hiring surge, fill niche roles, or cover capacity gaps, we flex with your workload without adding permanent headcount.

Your dedicated recruiter typically manages 6-10 open roles simultaneously. For companies with higher volume needs, we can discuss expanded coverage with additional recruiter support.

ISG works across technology, SaaS, finance, healthcare, construction, and more. Our tech and SaaS clients represent approximately 80% of our business, and we have deep expertise placing talent in high-growth, competitive markets.

We specialize in go-to-market roles including Sales Development Representatives (SDRs), Account Executives, Account Managers, Demand Generation, Field Sales, Sales Operations, Sales Management, and Marketing leadership. However, we also place VP/C suite executives and have built out full IT organizations and engineering teams.

Yes. ISG has significant experience in executive search, placing VP of Sales, Chief Revenue Officers, and other senior sales leaders. We apply the same rigorous sourcing methodology to executive searches as we do to individual contributor roles.

Absolutely. We frequently partner with seed-stage and Series A/B startups to build foundational go-to-market teams. We understand the unique challenges of early-stage hiring—speed, culture fit, and finding people who thrive in ambiguity.

While sales and marketing roles are our core strength, we have experience placing talent across operations, HR, finance, IT, engineering and other functions depending on client needs. Reach out to discuss your specific requirements.

ISG maintains a nationwide network of over 300,000 candidates across all major U.S. markets. This gives us immediate access to both active and passive candidates—people not on the open market but open to the right opportunity.

Our recruiters use a unique networking approach to build genuine, ongoing relationships with top performers—not just active job seekers. This means when a role opens, we can reach candidates your competitors can't.

ISG has active talent networks in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin, New York, Dallas, Boston, Washington D.C., Denver, and most other major U.S. metro markets. We also have an international presence in the UK as well. We can support remote, hybrid, and in-office searches nationwide.

Every candidate is thoroughly screened before being presented. Our recruiters conduct in-depth interviews, assess cultural fit, and vet for the specific skills and trajectory required for each role—so you only spend time on candidates worth meeting.

Yes—this is one of our core strengths. Our recruiters specialize in accessing passive talent: high performers who aren't on job boards but are open to compelling opportunities. This unlocks a talent pool your internal team may not be able to reach.

We handle everything: intake and role strategy, sourcing and outreach, candidate screening and interviews, shortlist delivery, interview coordination, offer negotiation support, and post-hire follow-up. You stay focused on your business while we run the process.

As involved as you'd like. We customize our approach to your bandwidth—some clients prefer daily updates and close collaboration, others want us to run independently and deliver a polished shortlist. We adapt to your process, not the other way around.

Time-to-fill depends on role complexity, market conditions, and your interview process, but clients consistently report faster hiring timelines with ISG compared to their prior recruiting approach. Our dedicated model and established network eliminate the delays common with traditional agencies.

Yes. Our team provides consultative support on interview structure, assessment frameworks, and best practices for evaluating sales candidates. We'll help you build a process that identifies top performers efficiently and reduces time wasted on poor fits.

Yes. We advise on market-competitive compensation benchmarks and help you structure offers that land. Our insights into what top candidates are receiving elsewhere help you move quickly and confidently.

ISG is ideal for companies whose hiring needs exceed their internal team's current capacity—whether that's a growth-stage startup scaling a sales team, a mid-market company with a hiring surge, or a Fortune 500 enterprise managing a specialized search.

Absolutely. Many of our clients have existing TA teams and use ISG to handle overflow, specialized roles, or time-sensitive surges. We embed directly alongside your internal team without disrupting existing processes.

Yes. Our month-to-month, flat-fee model is specifically designed to be accessible for companies at all stages. Even if you only need to fill two or three critical roles, the cost savings and speed compared to contingency search make ISG a strong fit.

Yes—this is a sweet spot for ISG. We have deep local market knowledge and talent networks in most major U.S. cities. Whether you're expanding to a single new market or multiple cities simultaneously, we can deploy recruiters with on-the-ground expertise.

Yes. Our embedded model scales to high-volume needs. For significant hiring programs, we can deploy additional recruiter resources to match your velocity and ensure quality doesn't suffer under pressure.

Clients consistently report lower cost per hire, faster time to fill, and a more scalable recruiting process. One healthcare AI client noted it was a clear upgrade over their prior model—with better budgeting, lower costs, and the ability to ramp up or down without disrupting the process.

We track key metrics including time-to-fill, cost per hire, offer acceptance rate, and 90-day retention. We report these back to you transparently so you always know the ROI of the engagement.

Our clients consistently report that candidate quality meets or exceeds expectations. We prioritize long-term fit over quick placement—we'd rather take an extra few days to find a great candidate than rush in a mediocre one.

Yes. Your dedicated recruiter and our leadership team provide real-time market intelligence—including compensation benchmarks, talent availability, and competitive insights—to help you build a compelling, competitive offer.

We stand behind our work. Reach out to our team to discuss our guarantee policy—we're committed to your long-term satisfaction, not just the immediate placement.

ISG uses advanced recruiting technology to streamline sourcing, candidate engagement, and pipeline management. Our tech stack enables faster identification of top candidates, smarter outreach, and a more efficient end-to-end process—all of which translates to speed and quality for our clients.

Yes. We work within your existing applicant tracking system and workflows. Whether you use Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, or another platform, we adapt to your tools rather than requiring you to change how you operate.

We leverage market data, candidate engagement analytics, and pipeline metrics to continuously optimize your recruiting strategy. If a sourcing channel isn't performing, we pivot quickly—data drives every decision.

ISG Partners was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, with offices in Austin, TX and Raleigh, NC. We've spent over a decade building deep expertise in sales and go-to-market recruiting.

Our client base spans Fortune 500 enterprises, mid-market growth companies, and venture-backed tech startups. The common thread is a commitment to building high-performing sales teams and a need for a faster, smarter recruiting partner.

ISG combines the cost efficiency of an embedded model with the deep specialization of a boutique sales recruiting firm. We don't just fill seats—we understand the nuances of sales roles, what makes a top performer, and how to find people your competitors are missing.

ISG Partners is consistently recognized by clients for above-market placements and high Glassdoor ratings. We partner with companies known for strong cultures and competitive compensation—which means the roles we recruit for attract serious talent.

Our primary focus is the U.S. market, where we have the deepest networks. For companies with U.S.-based roles or international firms building U.S. teams, we're a strong fit. Reach out to discuss international requirements.

Connect with an ISG recruiter on LinkedIn or through our website. We work with candidates across sales, marketing, and business development roles at top companies. If we have a role that fits your background, we'll reach out—and we often have access to opportunities not posted publicly.

No. Our services are completely free to candidates. We're paid by the employer, so you benefit from our expertise, prep, and advocacy at no cost to you.

We place candidates in SDR, AE, Account Management, Demand Generation, Sales Leadership, and Marketing roles across a wide range of industries—with a particular concentration in SaaS, technology, and high-growth companies.

We don't just connect you with an opportunity and step back. Our recruiters coach you through the interview process, share insights about the company and hiring team, and advise on how to position yourself effectively—from first call through offer.

That's exactly who we love to work with. Reach out or connect with us on LinkedIn. We specialize in passive talent, and we'll keep you in mind when the right opportunity comes along—no pressure, no spam.

Simply reach out through our website or contact our team directly. We'll set up a discovery call to understand your hiring goals, timelines, and team structure—and typically have a recommended approach ready within 48 hours.

We'll want to understand your open roles, your ideal candidate profile, your current hiring process, and your growth plans. The more context you share, the faster we can deploy a recruiter calibrated exactly to your needs.

Most clients begin receiving qualified candidates within the first 2 to 3 days of engagement. Because we have an established network and can activate quickly, you won't be waiting weeks to see results.