Frequently Asked Questions
Are you a recruiting agency?
Not exactly. Most of my work is helping your existing TA team do more — through fractional leadership and AI-engineered process support, not by replacing what you already have. When a specific role needs dedicated outside search, I also run flat-fee searches (the Search Sprint) — that’s one piece of a broader partnership, not the whole relationship. And I don’t have 50 other clients.
Where do most engagements start?
Usually with a free Discovery Call — we figure out where your team’s actually stuck and what to do about it. That might lead to a TA Health Check, AI Talent Acceleration, fractional leadership, or, if a specific role needs dedicated outside search right away, the Search Sprint: flat fee, dedicated hours, no long commitment.
I already use [sourcing tool]. Why do I need AI agents?
Sourcing is step one. AI agents handle what happens after: screening, scheduling, personalized outreach at scale, 24/7 candidate questions. That’s where most SMB AI attempts stall out — buying the tool is easy, engineering it around your actual recruiting process is the hard part. That’s the recruiting expertise I bring; the AI just executes it.
What if I don’t have Claude, ChatGPT, or fancy tech?
I work with whatever you have. Basic tools (email, spreadsheets, free ATS) get right-sized automation; more mature stacks get more sophisticated agents. I have clients without an applicant tracking system at all — I’ll meet you where you are, and we’ll find a solution that fits.
Does the AI decide who gets hired or rejected?
No. It doesn’t hire anyone and it doesn’t reject anyone. It evaluates and ranks incoming applications against the role so your team’s outreach starts with the best-fit candidates first — useful right now, since AI bots are flooding job posts with hundreds of applications per role. Every human decision stays yours.
How do I know this isn’t just AI hype?
Fair question. AI isn’t magic and it isn’t the solution by itself; it’s a tool, and it’s only as good as the recruiting judgment engineering it. I spent over 25 years running recruiting functions before I built a single agent. It handles the grunt work: screening 200 resumes, scheduling 40 interviews, follow-ups. I’ve built these workflows for clients like The Media Trust, and this website was built the same way. The AI does the labor; the expertise decides what labor needs doing.
What if we don’t have an HR or TA function?
You wouldn’t be the first client. In the last year, Keystone has served as the entire TA and HR function for one client — running searches, training managers, and setting talent strategy for a small tech company.
What’s your pricing?
- Discovery Call: Free, 30 minutes — no cost to find out where you stand.
- TA Health Check: Custom-scoped diagnostic engagement, typically $10K–$50K depending on scope.
- AI Talent Acceleration: Free initial consult, project pricing starts at $10K+.
- Fractional TA Leadership: Priced to fit your needs, weekly or monthly — custom quote after a free consult.
- The Search Sprint: $12,000 flat fee per role (45 hours dedicated search), +$5,000 for an identical second hire in the same sprint.
Only the Search Sprint has a fixed public price — everything else is scoped after a free Discovery Call, because the right approach (and the right TA Health Check price point) depends on what’s actually going on. No hidden fees once we do quote it.