About Retainer Recruiting
A note from Stephen Daniel, Founder
I started recruiting in 2011. Over the years I kept seeing the same thing: most hiring mistakes happen at the evaluation stage. The wrong signals get weighted, the right ones get ignored, and the decision comes down to who interviewed well.
I founded Retainer Recruiting to do better than that. We built a structured evaluation process, so that fit gets measured before anyone makes an offer.
If any of that sounds like a problem you're carrying, I'd like to hear about it.
Stephen Daniel, Founder
How we work
We take the time to get it right.
A careful hire costs less over time than a fast one that fails. We slow down at the beginning of a search so you get someone who stays and performs.
We measure what can be measured.
Instinct has a place in hiring, and it also accumulates bias. We use structured evaluation so the right call becomes easier to repeat.
We build the process before we need it.
Good outcomes should come from a reliable process rather than a heroic effort. We build that process with you so results stay consistent when things get busy.
Leadership
Stephen Daniel, Founder
He founded Retainer Recruiting, a SeekBuild company, to bring structure to hiring decisions. By combining deep organizational understanding with a structured, multi-signal evaluation process, Stephen built a recruiting practice where fit is measured, not assumed. He leads every engagement personally.
Kristy Nuckolls, People Strategy Consultant
Kristy helps leaders make better people decisions. Through hiring, team development, leadership support, and assessments, she helps organizations understand individual strengths, motivations, communication styles, and team dynamics so performance becomes more consistent and less reactive.
While much of her work begins with people, it often extends into the systems and processes that support them. Kristy builds practical HR and operating frameworks that improve consistency, strengthen accountability, and support sustainable growth.
Retainer Recruiting is a SeekBuild company. The consulting and leadership development side of that work lives at seekbuild.com.
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