The myth of DIY recruitment: Why outsourcing your hiring saves time, money and costs in the long run

In many aspiring businesses, leaders must wear multiple hats. They manage operations, finances, customer relationships and often hiring. At first glance, the DIY approach can seem the most cost-effective option. 

Why pay a recruitment agency when you can post a job ad, screen a few CVs and run the interviews yourself? That’s a no-brainer, right? In truth, this belief is more myth than reality.

This article demonstrates how the DIY hiring mindset often costs more than you might think, but not just in money, in time, efficiency, productivity and long-term team performance.

Myth No. 1: DIY saves money

On paper, avoiding an agency fee looks like a win, but here’s what is often overlooked:

Every hour spent on recruiting is an hour not spent running your business and doing the things that you do well. 

Managers can spend 20 to 40 hours per hire reviewing applications, trying to contact short-listed candidates, scheduling interviews, writing and posting job ads, and vetting would-be hires.

Without proper screening, the risk of a poor hire increases significantly and replacing them can cost around 30% of their annual salary once you factor in having to start the recruitment process again.

Any professional recruitment agency should be confident enough to offer a refund guarantee if things don’t go according to plan; we do this as standard.
When you calculate the hidden labour cost of your time, the DIY approach can be one of the most expensive ways to find new talent.

Myth No. 2: “We know exactly who we need”

Many companies assume that because they know their own business, they understand the employment market. However, recruitment agencies bring two very important advantages:

• Industry insights to salary trends, candidate expectations, market shortages and access to multiple talent pools.
• An understanding of how someone’s skills, experience and personality can align with a successful placement.
• Professional recruiters can spot red flags, assess competencies and tap into candidate pools that DIY hirers often miss, including huge passive candidate pools with people who aren’t actively looking. 

Myth No. 3: More applicants = more choice

Posting a job ad is easy, but screening 200 applications is not.

Recruitment agencies do this for you by:

• Reaching out to shortlisted candidates repeatedly, since they don’t always respond on the first call.
• Filtering out the low-quality applications.
• Presenting the very best hand-picked applicants who are genuinely invested in what you have to offer.
• Managing the whole recruitment journey from start to finish.

Myth No. 4: Agencies are just a CV forwarding service

A good agency doesn’t just collect CVs; they handle:

• Job ad creation and optimisation across multiple channels.
• Skills and background screening.
• Interview coordination.
• Candidate communication.
• Salary/offer negotiation.
• Reference checks.
• Market benchmarking.
• The handholding to make sure everything runs like clockwork.

This not only makes hiring smoother, but it also protects and enhances your brand as an employer. Candidates remember chaotic hiring processes and tell their friends and family as well.

Myth No. 5: “We don’t hire enough to justify the cost”

Even companies that hire occasionally can benefit from outsourcing, because a good agency will speed up the process. A typical DIY hiring cycle can take between 6 and 12 weeks from start to finish. 

A professional agency can typically reduce that to 2–4 weeks, resulting in:

• Less downtime waiting for someone to start, resulting in faster productivity.
• Less strain on understaffed teams, resulting in a happier workforce.
• Accelerated growth, more profit, better team dynamics, less work, impacted stress, happier customers…the list goes on!
• In business, delayed hiring can have a real financial impact.

The real cost-effectiveness of outsourcing

When you partner with a professional employment agency, you invest in:

• Expertise, market knowledge and access to thousands of candidates.
• Efficiency, they will do the heavy lifting for you so you can get on and do what you do best.
• Less risk, with guarantees. It’s in the agency’s interest to ensure you, the hirer, get exactly what you need; otherwise, they don’t get paid.
• Better long-term hires, a good hire contributes more, stays longer, reduces turnover costs and helps increase profitability.

In a nutshell, outsourcing your recruitment to a reputable employment agency is a strategic investment that saves time, reduces risk, boosts team quality and ultimately enhances your bottom line. 

An artisan service

When you work with us, you get the ideal outsourced recruitment solution with a defining advantage. Instead of relying on AI or automated tools, you benefit from a recruitment process crafted like artisan work: hands-on, detail-focused and genuinely human. 

Every advert is written for you by experienced professionals, and every candidate is personally screened to ensure you receive the strongest talent. You will receive the best return on your recruitment investment and a hiring experience where you feel truly supported.