Job search support agreement

This Agreement is made on [Date] between [Agency Name], having its office at [Agency Address] (the "Agency"), and [Candidate Name], residing at [Candidate Address], contactable on [Phone / Email] (the "Candidate").

1. What this Agreement is

1. The Agency will help the Candidate find work, and will be paid a single success fee only if the Candidate actually joins a job the Agency introduced them to.
2. Nothing is payable in advance. The Candidate pays no registration fee, no deposit, no service charge and no monthly amount at any point.
3. The Agency holds no mandate from any employer for the positions covered by this Agreement, and receives no fee from any employer in respect of them.

2. What the Agency will do

1. Write and revise the Candidate's resume, up to [3] versions.
2. Rewrite the Candidate's LinkedIn or job-portal profile once.
3. Run [2] mock interview sessions of 45 minutes each, with written feedback.
4. Share a list of relevant openings at least once a week during the term.
5. Prepare and submit up to [15] applications a month, each only after the Candidate approves that employer in writing.
6. Coordinate and brief the Candidate for any interview an employer offers.
7. All of the above is provided at no charge unless and until a fee becomes payable under clause 6.

3. What the Agency does not promise

1. The Agency does not guarantee a job, an interview, an employer response or any salary. Hiring decisions belong entirely to employers.
2. Any statement by any person that a job or interview is assured is not authorised by the Agency and forms no part of this Agreement.

4. How applications are made

1. Before applying to any employer, the Agency will name that employer to the Candidate in writing, and will apply only once the Candidate has approved it in writing. A message on WhatsApp or email counts as writing.
2. That written approval is the record of introduction for the purposes of clause 6.
3. Applications are submitted in the Candidate's own name. The Agency will not ask for, and the Candidate must not share, passwords to any portal, email or social media account.
4. The Candidate confirms the information they supply is true. The Agency is not responsible for any consequence of information the Candidate has misstated.

5. What the Candidate will do

1. Respond to the Agency within 3 working days when documents, information or approvals are needed.
2. Attend agreed mock sessions and interviews, or give at least 24 hours notice to reschedule.
3. Tell the Agency in writing within 7 days of accepting any job offer, whether or not the Agency introduced that employer, and confirm the joining date.

6. When a fee becomes payable

1. A fee becomes payable only when all four of the following have happened:
   1. the Agency named the employer to the Candidate and the Candidate approved the application in writing under clause 4.1;
   2. the Candidate attended an interview with that employer;
   3. that employer made an offer which the Candidate accepted; and
   4. the Candidate joined and has completed [30] days of continuous employment there.
2. If any one of those four has not happened, nothing is payable.
3. The [30]-day condition protects the Candidate: if the job does not work out in that period, no fee arises at all.

7. How much, and when

1. The fee is a fixed sum of [Rs. ____] plus GST. It is agreed now, in advance, and does not change with the salary the Candidate is offered.
2. The fee is payable in [2] equal monthly instalments, the first falling due [15] days after the Candidate receives their first salary.
3. Early settlement: if the Candidate pays the whole fee within 7 days of the first instalment falling due, the fee is reduced by [Rs. ____].
4. Late payment: the Agency will send a written reminder if an instalment is unpaid on its due date. If it remains unpaid 7 days after that reminder, simple interest accrues on the overdue instalment at [1.5%] per month until it is paid.
5. Interest runs only on the overdue instalment, is not compounded, and will not in total exceed the amount of that instalment.
6. No interest accrues while the Candidate is out of work, on unpaid leave, or in hospital, if they tell the Agency in writing.
7. The Candidate may, if they choose, set up a UPI AutoPay or e-NACH mandate for the instalments. A mandate is optional, is set up in the Candidate's own banking app, and the Candidate may cancel it at any time without affecting anything else in this Agreement.
8. Payment is made into the Agency's business account only. A receipt is issued for every instalment.
9. The Agency will never ask for payment in cash to an individual. If anyone does, the Candidate should report it to the number in clause 15.

8. If an instalment is not paid

1. The Agency will first send a written reminder, and will give the Candidate a reasonable chance to explain or to agree a revised schedule. The Agency will agree a reasonable revised schedule where the Candidate is in genuine difficulty.
2. If the amount stays unpaid, the Agency may send a formal demand notice through its advocate.
3. If it remains unpaid after that, the Agency may pursue lawful recovery through the courts at the place named in clause 16, and may recover its reasonable legal costs.
4. The Agency will not contact the Candidate's employer, colleagues, family, neighbours or references about the money, at any stage. Recovery, if any, happens between the Agency and the Candidate, or through a court. Clause 11 applies without exception.
5. The Agency will not disclose the Candidate's non-payment to any third party except its own advocate, its auditor, or a court.

9. When no fee is payable

1. The Candidate found the job themselves, or through anyone other than the Agency.
2. The employer was not approved in writing by the Candidate under clause 4.1.
3. The Candidate did not join, or left before completing the period in clause 6.1.4.
4. The Agency receives a fee from that employer for the placement. The Agency will not be paid by both the employer and the Candidate for the same job. If a fee has already been collected from the Candidate, it is refunded in full within 14 working days.
5. The Candidate was retrenched, or the role was withdrawn, before the period in clause 6.1.4 was completed.

10. Confirming that the Candidate joined

1. The Candidate authorises the Agency to contact the employer's HR department, once, solely to confirm the Candidate's joining date and that they remain employed.
2. The Agency will not discuss this Agreement, the fee, or anything about the Candidate's payment position with the employer.
3. Alternatively the Candidate may provide a copy of the offer letter or the first salary slip, and the Agency will not contact the employer at all.

11. What the Agency will never do

1. Hold, retain or demand the Candidate's original certificates, mark sheets, identity documents or passport, for any reason.
2. Take a blank, undated or security cheque, or any post-dated instrument, from the Candidate.
3. Contact the Candidate's employer, colleagues or family to apply pressure over an unpaid amount.
4. Charge anything for registration, resume work, coaching, applications or interviews, whether or not the Candidate is ever placed.

12. Ending this Agreement

1. This Agreement runs for [90] days and either party may end it earlier on written notice.
2. Ending it costs the Candidate nothing.
3. If the Candidate joins an employer approved under clause 4.1 within [90] days of this Agreement ending, clause 6 still applies to that employer. It applies to no one else.

13. The Candidate's information

1. The Candidate consents to the Agency holding their personal data and sharing their resume with employers approved under clause 4.1, and with no one else.
2. The Agency will not sell the Candidate's data or share it with any other party without written consent.
3. The Candidate may withdraw consent and ask for deletion at any time, and the Agency will comply unless required by law to retain it.
4. Both parties will comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

14. Liability

1. The Agency's total liability under this Agreement is limited to the fee actually paid by the Candidate.
2. Neither party is liable for indirect or consequential loss, including loss of earnings or opportunity.
3. Nothing here limits liability for fraud or for anything that cannot be limited by law.

15. Complaints

1. Complaints go to [Name, designation] at del@placementconsultancy.in or +91 96676 03077, acknowledged within 3 working days and resolved within 21 days.
2. Nothing in this Agreement affects the Candidate's rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

16. Governing law

1. This Agreement is governed by the laws of India, and the courts at [Delhi] have exclusive jurisdiction.

17. Signed

The Candidate confirms they have read clauses 3, 6, 8 and 11, and understand that no job is guaranteed, that nothing is payable unless they join and complete the period in clause 6, that late instalments carry interest under clause 7 and may be recovered under clause 8, and that the Agency will never hold their documents, take a security cheque, or contact their employer about money.