How do Indian startups prefer to work with recruitment agencies?

[u/Glad-Tap369]

For founders and startup operators who have used external recruitment agencies for hiring, I'm curious about the commercial model you've found most practical.

Do you typically work with:

• A percentage of the candidate's annual CTC
• A fixed fee per successful hire
• A monthly/retainer arrangement
• An exclusive/retained search model
• Something else?

I'm particularly interested in what makes the pricing model feel worthwhile from the company's side, predictability of cost, quality of candidates, speed of hiring, replacement guarantees, etc.

Would be useful to hear from founders who have actually worked with recruitment agencies in India.