I was recently selling my house.
We had one serious buyer come through, and the agent secured an offer pretty quickly.
For a split second, I found myself thinking:
“We’re paying a big fee to the real estate agent – and that didn’t seem like a lot of work…”
Then it hit me:
Would I rather this deal had dragged out for months, with open homes every weekend, endless negotiations, and the stress of it all?
Of course not. I was paying for the outcome, not the process.
The same logic applies when hiring.
👉 You can do it yourself – and spend 100+ hours on the process.
👉 Or you can engage an expert recruiter to deliver the outcome – fast.
Here’s how the two options compare – and how to decide what’s right for you.
The DIY Route (Hiring Yourself)
What it involves:
✅ Writing the job description and ad
✅ Posting to job boards
✅ Screening applicants (often 50–100+ CVs)
✅ Conducting first-round phone screens
✅ Coordinating interviews
✅ Interviewing
✅ Reference checks
✅ Negotiating and making the offer
✅ Handling rejections and candidate communications
What it costs:
- Time: ~ 100 hours over a period of four weeks according to Linkedin (by industry: https://resources.workable.com/stories-and-insights/time-to-hire-industry)
- Opportunity cost: What could you have billed or built in those 100 hours?
- Direct costs: ~$500–$1,000 on job boards and tools
Risks:
- Attracting the wrong candidates
- Poor screening due to lack of market insight
- Slower process → lose top candidates to faster competitors
- Potential hiring mistakes due to limited reach/network
- A preferred candidate dropping out and the process starting from scratch
Using an External Recruiter
What it involves:
✅ One call to brief the recruiter
✅ Recruiter sources and screens candidates
✅ You interview a curated shortlist
✅ Recruiter tweaks their shortlists based on your feedback
✅ Recruiter handles comms and negotiations
✅ You make a confident hire
What it costs:
- Recruiter fee: typically 10%–25% of salary (say $15k and upwards for a $150k hire)
- Your time: ~5–10 hours total
Benefits:
- Faster process → top candidates secured quickly
- Access to passive candidates (not just active applicants)
- Deep market knowledge and screening expertise
- Less risk of bad hires
A Simple Story
One client recently said to us:
“I paid a $16k fee – and it felt like all I did was send one email and have a 30-minute briefing. The recruiter ran a fast process and we made the hire in 3 weeks.”
Sounds too easy?
It doesn’t mean the fee wasn’t worth it – it meant the process was done well.
The recruiter brought expertise, network, and efficiency that no internal process could match.
Just like selling a house:
🏡 You could run open homes yourself, negotiate with buyers, do the paperwork…
Or you pay an agent. The agent brings one serious buyer – and you get the sale.
You’re not paying for “how many open homes” they run.
You’re paying for the right outcome.
Final Thought: What’s Your Time Worth?
If your charge-out rate is $250/hr → 100 hours = $25k of your time.
If it’s $400/hr → 100 hours = $40k of your time.
Now factor in the risk of a poor hire, lost candidates, and extended cost to your organisation from having no one in the role – and the recruiter fee starts looking very cheap.
Bottom line:
👉 If you have deep hiring experience, loads of time, and a strong talent network → DIY might work.
👉 If you value your time, want access to top talent, and need the right outcome → an expert recruiter is worth every penny.
More insights: Check out our thoughts on what the future of recruitment might look like.
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Do you have a recruitment question?
Call or email our friendly customer service team to get an answer to your recruitment questions.
Do you have a recruitment question?
Call or email our friendly customer service team to get an answer to your recruitment questions.
