For employers & hiring managers
Someone you trust
has a candidate for you.
A Knowbull introduction means a person in your network is vouching for someone — with the fee agreed before you see any names, and nothing to pay unless you hire. No account needed.
Got the email? The link inside goes straight to your referral
From: Knowbull
Subject: Sarah has a candidate for Senior Engineer
Hi — Sarah Reeve thinks she knows the right person for your Senior Engineer role…
Referral terms
You agree to the terms first. Then you see the full profile.
A tenth of an agency fee. Often less.
Agencies typically charge 15–25% of first-year salary. A Knowbull fee is whatever your contact set — usually in line with an internal referral bonus.
Recruitment agency · $100k role
- Placement fee (15–25%)$15,000–$25,000
- Candidate sourcedatabase & ads
- Vouched for bya salesperson
Knowbull referral · same role
- Referral fee (set by your contact)$2,500
- Processing (2.95%)$74
- Candidate sourcesomeone who knows you both
- Vouched for bytheir own reputation
Total, only if you hire$2,574
Referred candidates reach the offer stage at twice the rate of agency-sourced candidates (16% vs 8%). Ashby Talent Trends · 38M applications, 2021–24
of referred candidates go straight from application to interview — from just 1% of application volume. Same dataset
Four steps. No account. No cold calls.
01
An email arrives
From Knowbull, on behalf of someone you know. It names the role and the fee — but no candidate details yet. If you didn't ask them for help hiring, you can simply ignore it.
02
Agree to unlock the profile
One click, no card. Agreeing means: if — and only if — you hire this person, you'll pay the stated fee. Then you see everything: CV, contact details, and your contact's personal note.
03
Interview on your process
You contact the candidate directly — Knowbull stays out of the room. When you've decided, recording the outcome takes 30 seconds and closes the loop for the person who vouched.
04
Hire → invoice → 30-day guarantee
Pay the Stripe invoice for the agreed fee. Your payment is held for the hire's first 30 days before anything is released to the referrer — cover for early surprises.
Your contact never has to talk money. That's the point.
The person recommending isn't billing you — Knowbull is. The fee was set before the introduction, you agreed to it before seeing a name, and the invoice comes from us. The recommendation stays a recommendation.
Everything is transparent to all three of you: the candidate knows it's a paid referral, you know exactly what it costs, and your contact's trust score is on the line — your feedback after the process shapes it. Everyone sees the same numbers.
Fair questions.
Do I need an account?
No. Everything happens from the link in your email — reviewing the terms, seeing the profile, recording the outcome, paying the invoice. No sign-up, no card on file.
What if I don’t hire?
You pay nothing. The fee only becomes payable when you make the hire — there are no retainers, subscriptions or charges for looking.
What’s the total cost?
The fee your contact set (agreed by you before any names are shared) plus 2.95% payment processing. That’s it — and it’s typically a tenth of an agency placement fee.
Can I ask questions without it being weird?
Yes. Reply to any Knowbull email and it reaches your contact. For anything about the fee or invoicing, use the contact form on your referral page and choose the Knowbull team — so the money conversation never lands on the friendship.
Got a Knowbull email in your inbox?
The link inside goes straight to your referral — the role, the fee and the terms, before any names. Reply to the email with any questions; it reaches the right person.
Curious what the pages look like first? Walk through the demo. Can't find your email? Ask the person who referred — or email [email protected].