Capstone Search Group review: services, fees and terms
Capstone Search Group recruits for insurance agencies, brokerages, carriers and TPAs, from CSRs and producers to executives. It also places temps and contract staff and can run your recruiting as an outsourced service.
Search fees are a percent of the hire's first-year pay, set in a custom agreement. You choose contingency, engaged or retained search.
- Best for
- Agencies and brokerages that want one firm for search, temps and outsourced recruiting
- Type
- Contingency, engaged and retained search, temp staffing and RPO
- Roles
- Producers, account managers, CSRs, underwriters, claims and executives
- Lines
- Commercial and personal P&C, benefits, life and health
- Fee
- A percent of first-year pay, set in a custom agreement
- Agency types
- Independent agencies, retail brokerages, carriers and TPAs
Our take
Capstone Search Group fits an independent agency or brokerage that wants one recruiter for producers, account managers and CSRs, with temps or an executive search available later. It is a small Iowa firm that has worked in insurance since 2002.
You can pay only when you hire, or pay part of the fee up front for an exclusive engaged search. Capstone publishes no fee percent, so put it in the agreement.
Pros
- Contingency, engaged, retained, temp and RPO in one firm
- Recruits producers, service staff, underwriters and claims
- Producer guidance on non-competes and client names
- One hourly temp rate that covers wages, benefits and workers comp
- Background and reference checks when you ask
Cons
- No published fee percent or guarantee
- Most payment terms come from a 2019 guide
- Reference and background checks only on request
- Temp conversion fee isn't published
Roles, lines and region
- Roles
- Producers, CSRs, account managers, marketers, underwriters, claims, loss control, managers and executives
- Seniority
- Staff level through executive
- Lines
- Commercial and personal P&C, employee benefits, life and health and E&S
- Agency types
- Independent agencies, retail brokerages, carriers and TPAs
- Where
- Anywhere in the US, for remote, hybrid and office jobs
How they work
Contingency
You pay only if you hire a candidate Capstone sent you. Nothing is due before that.
Engaged search
An exclusive search for a senior role or a producer. You pay part of the fee at the start and the rest when the hire is made.
Retained search
For executives. A retainer is due when Capstone takes the search, followed by installments.
Temp and contract
Temporary, seasonal, long-term contract and interim staff for one hourly rate. You can hire the person full time at any point.
Outsourced recruiting (RPO)
Capstone runs part or all of your recruiting for you, under an agreement built around your hiring.
Fees and when you pay
| Model | Fee | Paid when |
|---|---|---|
| Contingency | A percent of the hire's first-year pay | When you hire a candidate Capstone presented |
| Engaged search | A percent of first-year pay | Part at the start, the rest at hire |
| Retained search | A percent of first-year pay | A retainer at the start, then installments |
| Temp and contract | One hourly bill rate | As billed for hours worked |
Capstone describes these payment steps in its 2019 guide to recruiting contracts. It publishes no percent or dollar amount, so the fee is set in your agreement. The temp rate covers wages, benefits, workers comp and unemployment.
Guarantee
Ask for the replacement guarantee in writing before you sign. Capstone publishes no guarantee. Get the length, whether you get a new search or money back and what voids it.
Finding and screening candidates
- Where candidates come from
- Its insurance candidate network and database, referrals and outreach to people who aren't job hunting
- Interviews
- Screening built around the job, plus interview guidance for you
- References
- Checked when you ask
- Background checks
- When you ask, with the candidate's consent, through an outside vendor
Producer recruiting
- Producers recruited
- Commercial lines and employee benefits producers
- Non-compete advice
- Capstone tells candidates to have an employment attorney read their agreement before they resign
- Talking about a book
- It tells producers not to share client names while discussing their book
Exclusivity and off-limits
- Exclusive search
- Engaged search is exclusive. A 2020 Capstone guide describes an optional 45 to 90 day exclusive window on contingency
- Your own staff
- Capstone recruits people who aren't job hunting and publishes no off-limits period. Ask for one in writing
Temporary staffing and conversion
- Temp roles
- Temporary, seasonal, long-term contract, interim executive and project consultant
- Billing
- One hourly rate covering the worker's wages, benefits, workers comp and unemployment
- Hiring the temp
- Allowed at any point. Get the conversion fee in writing, since none is published
Contract terms
- Agreement
- Written for each search model
- Outsourced recruiting
- Custom scope for each engagement
Exclusivity and payment steps come from Capstone's 2019 and 2020 guides on its own site.
Capstone Search Group alternatives
- The Jonus GroupQuote onlyLarger team with regional managers across the US
- The James Allen CompaniesQuote onlyPay 10% up front to move your search ahead
- QuestproQuote onlyAdds interim executives and new-graduate hiring
- Evergreen Agency Talent$397 a monthFlat monthly fee instead of a percent of salary
See every option in insurance recruiting firms.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Capstone Search Group charge?
Search fees are a percent of the hire's first-year pay, set in a custom agreement. Capstone doesn't publish the percent.
Do I pay Capstone anything up front?
Not on a contingency search. Engaged search starts with a payment and retained search with a retainer.
Does Capstone guarantee its placements?
Capstone lists none. Write the length and the remedy into your agreement.
Can I hire a Capstone temp full time?
Yes, at any point. Get the conversion fee in writing first.
Will Capstone work only on my search?
Engaged searches are exclusive. Its 2020 guide also describes an optional exclusive window on contingency.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the terms and product pages published by Capstone Search Group, reviewed in October 2026, together with our team's experience working with insurance agents and agency owners since 2008.
Corrections
Vendors change their pricing all the time and they don't email us when they do. So if you see a price on here that's gone up, a plan Capstone Search Group quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where Capstone Search Group has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.