01 Agreement to terms
These Terms of Service ("Terms") form a legally binding contract between you ("you" or "User") and Alden Search LLC, a limited liability company organized under Delaware law ("Alden Search," "we," "us," or "our"), and govern your access to and interaction with our website located at aldensearch.com (the "Site") as well as all associated offerings including recruitment, executive search, contract staffing, and career advisory services (collectively, the "Services").
By visiting the Site, providing your résumé or contact details, executing an engagement letter, or otherwise utilizing our Services, you accept and agree to comply with these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not accept these Terms, you should refrain from using our Services.
02 Our services
Alden Search runs a professional employment-agency practice that links experienced professionals ("Candidates") with employers based in the United States ("Clients"). Our core service lines include:
- Direct-hire placement — permanent, full-time position placement;
- Contract & contract-to-hire staffing — project-driven and temporary-to-permanent arrangements;
- Executive search — retained engagements targeting VP-level and C-suite positions;
- Career coaching — individualized advisory sessions billed under a separate agreement.
Candidates are never charged for our placement services. All placement fees are borne by the Client upon a successful hire. Career coaching is an elective, paid offering governed by its own dedicated agreement.
03 Eligibility
In order to access our Services, you must satisfy the following requirements:
- You must be a minimum of eighteen (18) years old;
- You must hold valid work authorization in the United States or in the jurisdiction relevant to the position you are pursuing (or be eligible to secure such authorization);
- You must not be prohibited from using our Services by any applicable US law, sanctions regime, or prior account termination;
- You must supply information that is truthful, complete, and current.
04 Candidate obligations
By presenting yourself as a candidate through Alden Search, you represent and warrant the following:
- Every piece of information you supply (résumé, employment history, educational background, references) is honest, complete, and accurate;
- You possess the legal authority to disclose any third-party information included in your submission (for example, details about prior employers);
- You will inform us without delay of any significant changes to your situation while a search is underway;
- You will not falsify your qualifications, work authorization, or current employment status;
- You grant us permission to present your candidacy to specific Clients solely after we have secured your informed consent for each individual search.
05 Client obligations
By retaining Alden Search as a Client, you commit to the following:
- Furnish precise role descriptions, compensation parameters, and anticipated hiring timelines;
- Engage with every candidate we introduce in a professional manner and in full compliance with applicable EEO statutes (Title VII, ADA, ADEA, GINA, USERRA, and relevant state-level equivalents);
- Remit our fees on time in accordance with the terms set forth in your engagement letter;
- Refrain from soliciting, hiring, or contracting with our staff or any candidates we have presented for a minimum of twelve (12) months after our most recent interaction, unless you obtain our prior written approval;
- Safeguard the confidentiality of all candidate data we share with you, consistent with applicable privacy legislation.
06 Fees & payment
6.1 — Candidates
Alden Search never charges candidates for any placement-related service. Under no circumstances will we ask for payment in connection with résumé evaluation, interview preparation, or job placement. Anyone claiming to act on behalf of Alden Search who requests money, financial account information, or any form of payment is engaging in fraud — report such activity immediately to security@aldensearch.com.
6.2 — Clients
Fees payable by Clients are determined by the signed engagement letter between the parties. Our standard pricing models are as follows:
- Direct-hire: a percentage of the candidate’s first-year base salary, payable upon successful placement;
- Retained executive search: a retainer paid in three installments (engagement, shortlist delivery, placement completion);
- Contract staffing: an hourly billing rate that includes a clearly disclosed markup above the contractor’s pay rate;
- Career coaching (when purchased by individuals): a flat-fee program as specified in the coaching engagement letter.
All invoices are denominated in US dollars and are due within thirty (30) days of issuance unless a different payment schedule has been agreed to in writing. Overdue balances accrue interest at a rate of 1.5% per month or the highest rate allowed by law, whichever is less.
6.3 — Replacement guarantee
Direct-hire placements include a 90-day replacement guarantee: should a candidate we placed resign voluntarily or be dismissed for cause within 90 days of their start date, we will perform a replacement search at no extra cost. Complete guarantee terms are detailed in the engagement letter.
07 Intellectual property
Every element of the Site — including text, imagery, logos, the Alden Search name and crest, page designs, software, and source code — is the property of Alden Search LLC or its licensors and is safeguarded under US copyright, trademark, and trade-secret statutes. You receive a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and view the Site solely for personal, non-commercial use.
You are prohibited from (i) copying, distributing, or producing derivative works from Site content; (ii) reverse-engineering or attempting to extract any source code; (iii) deploying data-mining, web-scraping, or automated extraction tools without our express written authorization; or (iv) using our name, logo, or brand assets in any manner that implies an endorsement or affiliation we have not sanctioned.
08 Disclaimers
THE SITE AND SERVICES ARE MADE AVAILABLE ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, ALDEN SEARCH DISCLAIMS EVERY WARRANTY, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTIES THAT MAY ARISE FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR TRADE USAGE.
We make no guarantee that you will secure a job offer, that a particular position will remain available, that compensation results will align with your expectations, or that the Site will operate without interruption, security incidents, or errors.
09 Limitation of liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALDEN SEARCH, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND LICENSORS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOST PROFITS, LOST BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, LOSS OF GOODWILL, OR LOSS OF DATA) RESULTING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SITE OR SERVICES, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE CLAIM IS GROUNDED IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, EVEN IF WE WERE INFORMED OF THE POTENTIAL FOR SUCH DAMAGES.
OUR AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING UNDER THESE TERMS SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (i) THE TOTAL FEES YOU HAVE PAID TO US DURING THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THE EVENT THAT TRIGGERED THE CLAIM, OR (ii) ONE THOUSAND US DOLLARS ($1,000).
10 Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Alden Search, its affiliated entities, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and costs (including reasonable legal fees) that arise from or relate to: (i) any breach of these Terms by you; (ii) any infringement of a third party’s rights; (iii) any violation of applicable law on your part; (iv) any inaccuracy or omission in the information you have furnished to us.
11 Dispute resolution
11.1 — Governing law
These Terms shall be interpreted and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, excluding its conflict-of-laws provisions. Exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising under these Terms rests with the federal courts of the District of Delaware and the state courts located in New Castle County, Delaware.
11.2 — Informal resolution
Prior to initiating any formal legal proceeding, both parties agree to make a good-faith effort to resolve the dispute informally over a period of at least sixty (60) days. Written notice describing the nature of the dispute should be sent to legal@aldensearch.com.
11.3 — Binding arbitration
Should informal resolution prove unsuccessful, any dispute stemming from these Terms will be settled exclusively through final and binding arbitration conducted by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) pursuant to its Commercial Arbitration Rules, before a single arbitrator seated in New York, New York. The resulting arbitral award may be confirmed and entered in any court with proper jurisdiction.
11.4 — Class-action waiver
Both you and Alden Search agree that claims may be asserted against the other party only on an individual basis and not as a plaintiff or member of any purported class or representative action. No arbitrator shall have authority to consolidate the claims of multiple individuals or to oversee any class or representative proceeding.
12 Termination
Alden Search retains the right to suspend or discontinue your access to the Services, in its sole discretion and without prior notice, if it reasonably determines that you have breached these Terms or any applicable law. You may cease using our Services at any time by sending written notice to legal@aldensearch.com. Sections 6 (Fees), 7 (IP), 8 (Disclaimers), 9 (Liability), 10 (Indemnification), 11 (Disputes), and 13 (Miscellaneous) shall survive any termination.
13 Miscellaneous
- Entire agreement: These Terms, in conjunction with our Privacy Policy and any signed engagement letter, represent the complete agreement between you and Alden Search with respect to the Services.
- Severability: Should any provision be deemed unenforceable, all remaining provisions shall continue to apply in full.
- No waiver: A decision by us not to enforce a particular right does not constitute a waiver of that right.
- Assignment: You may not transfer or assign these Terms without our written consent. Alden Search may assign these Terms to an affiliate or as part of a merger or acquisition.
- Force majeure: We bear no liability for service disruptions caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control.
- Updates: These Terms may be modified from time to time. Significant changes will be published with an updated "Effective" date and, for active engagements, communicated via email no fewer than 30 days before they take effect.
14 Contact
Any inquiries regarding these Terms should be addressed to our legal department:
Alden Search LLC · Attn: Legal Department
315 Park Avenue South, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10010
Email: legal@aldensearch.com
Toll-free: +1 (877) 634-8190