General Placement Service review: services, fees and terms
General Placement Service recruits account managers, producers, underwriters, claims staff and executives for agencies, brokerages, carriers and wholesalers. It also places contract and temp staff on its payroll.
Contingency costs nothing unless you hire. Engaged search takes part of the fee up front and credits it to the final invoice.
- Best for
- Agencies, carriers and wholesalers hiring technical, mid-level or senior staff
- Type
- Contingency and engaged search, plus contract and temp staffing
- Roles
- Account managers, producers, underwriters, claims, loss control and executives
- Lines
- P&C, life, health, benefits, workers comp and surety
- Fee
- Quote only. Engaged search takes part of the fee up front
- Agency types
- Agencies, brokerages, carriers, wholesalers and program managers
Our take
General Placement Service suits an agency, carrier or wholesaler hiring an account manager, underwriter, claims lead or executive through a long-running insurance-only firm. It has recruited from Greensburg, Pennsylvania since 1978.
Contingency costs nothing unless you hire. Engaged search takes part of the fee up front and credits it against the final invoice, and GPS can also place contract or temp staff on its payroll.
Pros
- Recruiting only for insurance since 1978
- Upfront engaged payment is credited to the final invoice
- Contract and temp staff on its own payroll
- Checks references and asks for past performance reviews
- Follows up after the hire
Cons
- Fees aren't published
- No published guarantee
- Background reports only on request
- Engaged search money is due before a hire
Roles, lines and region
- Roles
- Account managers, account executives, producers, underwriters, claims adjusters and managers, loss control, branch managers and insurance executives
- Seniority
- Technical and mid-level roles through CEO
- Lines
- Commercial and personal P&C, life, health, benefits, disability, workers comp and surety
- Agency types
- Agencies, brokerages, carriers, wholesalers and program managers
- Where
- Anywhere in the US, including remote jobs
How they work
Contingency
You pay only if you hire a candidate GPS presented.
Engaged search
For senior, leadership and confidential searches. Part of the fee up front gives your search priority and comes off the final invoice.
Contract and temp
Short-term and interim staff on the GPS payroll, billed to you on a regular schedule.
Fees and when you pay
| Model | Fee | Paid when |
|---|---|---|
| Contingency | Quote only | Only if you hire a GPS candidate |
| Engaged search | Part of the fee up front, credited to the final invoice | The rest at placement |
| Contract and temp | Quote only | Billed on a regular schedule |
Guarantee
Ask for the replacement guarantee in writing before you sign. GPS publishes no guarantee. Agree the length, the remedy and what voids it before the search starts.
Finding and screening candidates
- Where candidates come from
- Its database, insurance job boards, social networks, industry contacts and direct approaches to competitors' staff
- Interviews
- Skills, experience, goals and fit with your team
- References
- Checks references and asks for past performance reviews, with full checks on request
- Background checks
- Reports on request
- After the hire
- GPS follows up with you and the new hire
Exclusivity and off-limits
- Confidential search
- GPS keeps your search confidential and shares nothing without your permission
- Your own staff
- GPS approaches staff at competing firms and publishes no off-limits period. Ask for one in writing
Temporary staffing and conversion
- Temp roles
- Short-term, interim and lower-level assignments
- Who employs the temp
- GPS, which pays the worker through its payroll
- Billing
- Regular invoices
General Placement Service alternatives
- The James Allen CompaniesQuote onlyThree levels of search priority, with set upfront shares
- QuestproQuote onlyTemp-to-hire and graduate recruiting as well
- Capstone Search GroupQuote onlyOutsourced recruiting for agencies with steady hiring
- The Carlisle GroupQuote onlyPublished replacement guarantee on engaged search
See every option in insurance recruiting firms.
Frequently asked questions
How much does General Placement Service charge?
Fees are quoted. On contingency you pay only if you hire a GPS candidate.
How does engaged search work at GPS?
You pay part of the fee up front, which gives the search priority and comes off the final invoice.
Can GPS supply temps?
Yes. Contract and temp staff work on the GPS payroll and you are billed on a regular schedule.
Does GPS guarantee its placements?
Its site shows none. Settle terms before the search starts.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the terms and product pages published by General Placement Service, 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 General Placement Service quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where General Placement Service has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.