What’s the Difference Between Using a Recruitment Service and Designing a Custom Hiring Plan?
Hiring the right people is critical for any business, but the approach you take can make a world of difference. You might be familiar with traditional recruitment services, where someone else does the heavy lifting to find candidates. But have you considered designing a custom hiring plan? While both methods aim to get the right person in the door, they’re very different in how they work, what they offer, and how much control you have over the process. Let’s break it down.
What’s a Recruitment Service?
Think of a recruitment service as outsourcing your hiring. You hand off the job to a third-party recruiter or agency, and they take it from there. They’ll typically handle everything from sourcing candidates to conducting initial screenings and, in some cases, even negotiating offers.
The Pros
Time-saving: If you’re short on time, a recruitment service can take hiring off your plate entirely.
Access to talent pools: Agencies often have large databases of pre-screened candidates, so they can find people quickly.
Specialized expertise: They know how to find candidates for niche or hard-to-fill roles.
The Cons
Cost: Recruitment services can be expensive, often charging a percentage of the hire’s salary as their fee.
Less control: You’re relying on someone else’s process, which might not align with your company’s unique needs or culture.
Transactional nature: Once the hire is made, the relationship with the recruiter typically ends.
Recruitment services are like hiring a matchmaker—they’ll find potential fits for you, but you’re trusting their judgment without full visibility into the process.
What’s a Custom Hiring Plan?
A custom hiring plan is a strategic roadmap you design (with or without help) to manage the hiring process in-house. It’s tailored to your business’s specific needs, priorities, and culture. Rather than handing over control, you own every step of the process, from crafting the job description to onboarding the hire.
The Pros
Tailored to your business: A custom plan reflects your company’s culture, values, and goals, ensuring you attract the right kind of candidates.
Cost-effective: You save on agency fees and can control how much you invest in tools or resources.
Sustainable: Once you’ve created a plan, it can be reused and adjusted for future hires.
Builds your brand: Running your own process allows you to showcase your business to candidates directly, strengthening your employer brand.
The Cons
Time-consuming: Managing the hiring process yourself can be a lot of work, especially for small teams.
Requires expertise: If you’re not familiar with recruitment best practices, it’s easy to make mistakes that delay the process or lead to poor hires.
A custom hiring plan is like DIY hiring but with strategy—it puts you in control, letting you create a process that works best for your business.
Key Differences
Control Over the Process
Recruitment service: The recruiter runs the show, and you step in for interviews and final decisions.
Custom hiring plan: You’re in charge of every step, from sourcing to onboarding.
Cost
Recruitment service: Expect to pay a hefty fee, often 20–30% of the hire’s first-year salary.
Custom hiring plan: Costs are lower and focused on tools (like job boards or applicant tracking systems).
Focus on Long-Term Strategy
Recruitment service: Often focused on filling a role quickly.
Custom hiring plan: Designed to create a sustainable, repeatable process tailored to your business.
Brand Representation
Recruitment service: Candidates interact primarily with the recruiter intially, not your team.
Custom hiring plan: Candidates engage directly with your business, giving you more control over the impression they leave with.
Which One Should You Choose?
The right choice depends on your business needs, resources, and priorities.
Go with a recruitment service if:
You need to fill a role quickly and don’t have time to manage the process.
The role requires highly specialized expertise, and you lack the network to find candidates yourself.
You’re okay with paying a premium for convenience.
Opt for a custom hiring plan if:
You want a process that reflects your company’s unique culture and values.
You’re looking for a cost-effective, long-term solution for hiring.
You have the resources (or external support, like Peopleish!) to manage the process in-house.
Why a Custom Hiring Plan Might Be the Better Choice
For small businesses, a custom hiring plan often strikes the perfect balance between affordability and effectiveness. It gives you the flexibility to attract candidates who align with your goals and culture without sacrificing control or breaking the bank.
At Peopleish, we specialize in designing custom hiring plans that work for small businesses. We’ll help you craft job descriptions, map out the interview process, and even provide tools to track candidates—all tailored to your unique needs. Plus, once the plan is in place, you’ll have a reusable framework that makes future hiring faster and easier.
Because at the end of the day, hiring isn’t just about filling a role—it’s about finding the right person to grow your business. Whether you need help building a hiring strategy or figuring out your next step, we’re here to make the process simple, effective, and (dare we say) enjoyable. Let’s create something custom together.
