AI made recruiting faster.
It didn't make hiring better.
Automated sourcing finds more names and circulates more résumés than ever. A critical CPA hire still comes down to trusted access, experienced judgment, and personal accountability.
After more than 35 years across internal talent, retained search, and contingency recruiting, Dennis Piller built a third option for CPA firms.
The Fractional Recruiting Partnership
Exclusive commitment. Direct access to Dennis. A small engagement fee to begin.
Built around the right hire, not the next placement.
Dennis Piller
35+ years · Answers his own phone
“People take my call because I never burned the last one.”
Why Dennis rebuilt the model
Dennis worked every side of talent acquisition: inside businesses, leading executive search, and inside both retained and contingency models. He saw where incentives break and what happens when a critical seat stays open too long. Then AI accelerated profile recycling and résumé volume without improving judgment.
A third option changes everything.
Familiar model
Retained
Commitment and focus, with a substantial upfront investment before proof.
Familiar model
Contingency
Little initial commitment, competing priorities, and résumé volume.
Third option
TPS Fractional
Exclusive search commitment, direct owner involvement, a lower success fee, and one accountable partner.
Why deposit up front beats dozens of free resumes — see the 3-page model →
Start small
Begin the partnership with a small engagement fee, not a traditional retainer.
Lower success fee
TPS succeeds when the firm makes the right hire. The commercial model reflects that shared outcome.
Dennis leads the search
No account handoff. No junior associate learning the firm after you engage. Dennis recruits and communicates directly.
Relationships before sourcing
Every engagement starts with decades of CPA relationships and professional trust before a new search strategy is built.
What this model produces
The candidate in Dennis's email
If Dennis mentioned someone in his note, that introduction is how the partnership works in practice. He begins with the person: what they have accomplished, what kind of firm deserves their attention, and whether the long-term direction matches. Supportable qualifications only. No invented impact claims.
The candidate may begin the conversation. The partnership is what gives the firm an advantage on every critical search that follows.
Which Tuesday is your firm having?
Every critical vacancy eventually stops looking like an open seat and starts showing up inside the firm's week. Choose the Tuesday that feels closest.
Dennis has seen this Tuesday before. Tell him which part sounds familiar.