How Priority One’s Contract-to-Hire Model Eliminates the Guesswork and the Fee
Every employer has been here: you need to fill a role, but you’re not sure the person will work out. You bring someone on through a staffing firm, they perform well, and now you want to make them permanent. Then comes the conversion fee, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars, just to keep someone who’s already doing the job.
It doesn’t have to work that way.
The Priority One Approach: 16 Weeks, Then They’re Yours
At Priority One Staffing, we operate on a straightforward contract-to-hire model. Every temporary placement comes with a 16-week / 640-hour conversion period. Once that period is complete, the employee converts to your payroll with absolutely no fee.
No conversion charge. No hidden costs. No surprises.
That 640-hour window is per order, so the terms are consistent and predictable every time you work with us.
Try Before You Make a Full-Time Commitment
The real value of contract-to-hire isn’t just avoiding a fee, it’s reducing risk. Sixteen weeks is enough time to evaluate whether a candidate fits your team, your workflows, and your culture. You’re making a hiring decision based on actual performance, not a 45-minute interview.
If the candidate isn’t the right fit, you haven’t committed to a permanent hire. If they are, you keep them, and you pay nothing extra to do it.
What If You Want to Convert Earlier?
Sometimes you know before 16 weeks that the person is right. We get it. If you want to convert a temporary employee before the 640-hour mark, we can pro-rate the fee based on the time remaining. The closer you are to the conversion threshold, the lower the cost, and once you cross it, the fee disappears entirely.
Why This Matters for Maryland Employers
Hiring is expensive. The wrong hire is more expensive. Between recruiting costs, onboarding time, and lost productivity from a bad fit, a single failed placement can set a department back weeks.
Our contract-to-hire model is designed to take that pressure off. You get a tested, vetted candidate, every person we place goes through SHL assessments before they reach your interview, and you get 16 weeks to confirm the fit before making it permanent.
No other staffing firm in Maryland offers this combination: rigorous pre-placement testing, direct owner involvement in every account, and a zero-fee conversion after 640 hours.
The Bottom Line
If you’re paying conversion fees to keep people who’ve already proven themselves on your floor, you’re paying too much. Priority One’s model is built around one idea: if we send you the right person and they perform for 16 weeks, they’ve earned their place on your team, and you shouldn’t have to pay extra for it.
Ready to talk about how contract-to-hire can work for your next opening?
Contact us today or call us at (410) 769-8600.
