FAQ
Questions we get asked
If yours is not here, the contact form reaches the same two people and they answer it themselves.
For companies
Hiring through us
Cost, timelines, guarantees, and how we verify who we are sending you.
How long does a search take?
About three weeks for a typical senior role: a shortlist in seven to ten days, then your interview loop and an offer. Notice periods are the main variable after that, and they are the one thing we cannot compress.
What does it cost?
Contract and contract-to-hire engagements carry a 22% margin on top of the engineer's hourly rate, shown as a separate line on the invoice. Direct hires are 18% of first-year base salary, invoiced 30 days after the start date. There is no fee if you do not hire.
Do you charge anything up front?
No. We do not take retainers or engagement fees. If a search does not produce a hire, it costs you nothing but the interview time.
What happens if a placement does not work out?
Direct hires carry a 90-day replacement guarantee: if someone leaves or is let go inside that window, we run the search again at no charge. Contract engagements end on two weeks' notice from either side, so there is nothing to guarantee against.
How do I know the person interviewing is the person who will do the work?
We verify government photo ID on a live video call, contact two previous employers directly, and run our own ninety-minute technical screen on camera before anyone reaches you. You can request the record of all three at any point during an engagement, free and without giving a reason.
Can you handle contracts and compliance internationally?
Yes for contract and contract-to-hire — we hold the contract, handle invoicing, payroll, and right-to-work checks, and you receive a single monthly invoice. On direct hires you employ the person yourself and we step back entirely once they start.
Which timezones can you actually cover?
Our engineers work from twelve countries across the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Every role we take carries a stated overlap requirement, and we only present people who can hold those hours long-term rather than for the first enthusiastic month.
For engineers
Working with us
Fees, screening, feedback, and what we commit to either way.
What does it cost me?
Nothing. Agencies are paid by the client. Anyone asking an engineer for a fee, a deposit, or a share of their own salary is running something other than a placement business.
Will I know the rate before I interview?
Yes — the comp range, our margin, and the client's budget ceiling, before you agree to a first conversation. If the number does not work for you, neither of us has spent an evening finding that out.
Do you send my CV out without asking?
No. We come to you with a specific role — company, team, stack, rate, timezone — and nothing goes to a client until you say yes to that role.
What is the screening process?
A fifteen-minute application, then a ninety-minute technical conversation with a senior engineer in your stack. That screen doubles as the write-up clients see, so you only do it once no matter how many roles you are put forward for.
Will you tell me why I was rejected?
Yes, including what the client actually said rather than a sanitised version. If we decide not to put you forward at all, we tell you that too, and why.
How long do you keep me on the bench?
Two years from your last contact with us, then your profile is deleted. You can ask us to remove it sooner at any point and we will, without asking why.
What if you do not deliver what you have promised?
Tell us. Our commitments page lists the specific things we hold ourselves to — reply times, rate transparency, feedback after rejection — and conduct@northboundtalents.com goes to the two people who can change how an engagement is being run.
Do I have to work exclusively through you?
No. No exclusivity clauses, no non-competes that follow you around, and no penalty for turning down an introduction or taking a role you found yourself.
Still unanswered?
One working day to a reply for companies, three for engineers, either way.