Your vacant developer position costs you hundreds of dollars per day in lost productivity. And after 6 weeks of searching, you still have no qualified candidates. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. In 2025, the median time-to-hire is 52 days for mid-level and 71 days for senior roles, and that’s before onboarding. This is why many companies partner with an outsource recruitment agency. Let’s explore how it works and whether it makes financial sense for your hiring situation.
Is choosing an outsource recruitment agency right for your company?
Working with an outsourcing recruitment agency is best in specific situations. You need to understand your scenario before committing. 👇
| Consider hiring outsourcing company if you: | Stick with in-house when you: |
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The hybrid approach: Many businesses turn to outsourcing recruitment companies for hard-to-fill technical roles, while handling junior positions internally.
Quick decision framework
Answer these three questions:
- How much does this vacancy cost per day? (Average salary ÷ 260 working days).
- How long have you been searching? (Each week costs 5x your daily vacancy rate).
- Do you have qualified candidates in your pipeline right now?
If your vacancy costs over $500 daily, you’ve been searching for 4+ weeks, and your pipeline is empty, an outsource recruiting agency will likely save you money.
How long does it actually take for an outsourcing recruitment agency to fill a position?
Most companies fill mid to senior technical roles in ~45 days on average. But that number varies wildly based on your approach.
Here’s what the data shows:
- In-house recruitment: ~51–72 days for specialized IT roles.
- Outsourced to specialized agencies: ~21–37 days for the same positions.
Why the ~53% time difference?
Specialized recruitment process companies maintain warm candidate pools. When you post an opening, they’re already in conversation with qualified professionals who aren’t actively job hunting. On the contrary, your in-house team starts from zero every time.
The breakdown looks like this:
| Traditional in-house timeline | Agency-assisted timeline |
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| Total: 51–72 days. | Total: 21–37 days. |
Example:
A Berlin-based SaaS company needed a DevOps engineer with Kubernetes experience. After 8 weeks of searching on their own, they had 2 IT job interviews with unqualified candidates. Their CTO was spending 12 hours weekly reviewing resumes.
They engaged a specialized outsource recruiting company on Monday. By the following week, they received their first shortlist of qualified candidates, and interviews began the next day. Over the next three weeks, the agency coordinated interviews, technical assessments, final conversations, and offer facilitation. Total time: 30 days.
The difference? The agency was already talking to DevOps engineers who met their requirements but weren’t actively job-seeking. These passive candidates represent the majority of the European workforce and are typically higher-quality.
What does pricing at an outsource recruiting company look like?
Typical pricing models include contingency, retained, RPO (recruitment process outsourcing), and project-based. 👇
- Contingency: Pay only when you hire someone. The fee is 10-20% of the first-year salary. No hire – no fee. Best for individual roles.
- Retained: Upfront fee (typically 30% of total) plus success fee. Reserved for executive searches or highly specialized roles. The commits exclusively to your search.
- RPO (recruitment process outsourcing): Monthly retainer for ongoing hiring needs. Makes sense when you’re hiring 10+ people annually. Cost depends on volume.
- Project-based: Fixed fee for building an entire team (for example, 5 developers in 3 months). Common for companies opening new offices or launching major initiatives.
At DNA325, we primarily work on a contingency model and also provide recruitment process outsourcing.
How can outsourcing recruitment companies find better candidates faster?
Top agencies don’t just post your job on LinkedIn and wait. They use approaches that your in-house team likely doesn’t have access to:
- Passive candidate networks.
- Technical screening expertise.
- Market intelligence.
- Advanced sourcing tools.
- Employer brand positioning. 👇
1. Passive candidate networks
The best IT specialists aren’t browsing job boards. LinkedIn data shows that 64% of the workforce are passive candidates, not actively looking but open to the right opportunity.
Specialized recruiters maintain ongoing relationships with these professionals. They know, for example, who’s getting frustrated with their current role.
When you need a senior React developer, they’re not starting a search. They’re messaging 12 people they’ve been talking to for months.
2. Technical screening expertise
Generic recruiters struggle to assess technical skills. They rely entirely on hiring managers for evaluation, creating bottlenecks.
However, specialized IT recruiters understand whether someone’s experience translates to your use case and pre-screen for technical fit before you spend interview time.
This means you see fewer candidates, but the quality is dramatically higher. Instead of reviewing 40 resumes and interviewing 8 people, you review 6 pre-screened profiles and interview 3.
3. Market intelligence
Recruitment outsourcing companies reach out to hundreds of candidates monthly. They know:
- Current salary expectations by role and region.
- Which companies are laying off (creating talent availability).
- Benefits that matter most to candidates right now.
- Job requirements that are dealbreakers vs. nice-to-haves.
Imagine you’re hiring a Go developer and decide the role must require 5+ years of experience. After reviewing market data, the outsourced recruitment agency shows you that in your region, only a few dozen candidates actually meet that requirement. Meanwhile, over 200 qualified developers have 3+ years of experience and the skills to succeed.
By adjusting the requirement from 5+ years to 3+ years, you open up a much stronger talent pool. You end up filling the position in about 3 weeks, instead of the 8–10 weeks it likely would have taken with the original criteria.
4. Advanced sourcing tools
Professional recruiters use expensive sourcing platforms that your company likely doesn’t have:
- LinkedIn Recruiter.
- GitHub talent search tools.
- Technical skills assessment platforms.
- Specialized IT talent databases.
- Automated outreach systems.
These tools are cost-prohibitive for businesses hiring occasionally, but recruiting agencies spread the cost across dozens of clients.
5. Employer brand positioning
Candidates are more honest with external recruiters. They’ll tell an agency their real salary expectations, reasons for leaving their current role, and concerns about your company, things they won’t share directly with you initially.
This transparency lets agencies position your opportunity effectively and handle objections before you even speak to the candidate. By the time someone interviews with you, they’re genuinely interested, and the recruiter has already addressed their concerns.
How can an outsource recruiting agency hire remote talent across Europe?
Cross-border hiring introduces complexity that most companies underestimate. And this is where outsourced recruitment agencies add the most value.
Here’s how agencies navigate this 👇
Market knowledge
Specialized recruitment companies understand country-specific expectations. These include required termination procedures, the number of vacation days, and common demands for professional development budgets, etc.
Salary benchmarking: Agencies provide accurate compensation data by role and location. They share specific salary ranges so you can make competitive offers for your exact requirements, since pay can vary significantly based on skills, experience, and country.
Compliance guidance: While agencies don’t provide legal services, they connect you with employment solutions. They know whether you should hire as a contractor, use an employer of record (EOR), or establish a legal entity.
Example 👇
A Boston-based fintech needed to build a 6-person development team for a new product. They wanted European talent for timezone overlap with their London office, but they had no European entity.
Working with a recruitment outsourcing company, they hired:
- 2 senior developers in Poland ($60,100 and $67,100).
- 1 tech lead in Portugal ($78,700).
- 2 mid-level developers in Romania ($48,500 and $52,100).
- 1 DevOps engineer in the Czech Republic ($63,700).
Total team cost: $370,000 annually.
Equivalent team in Boston: $785,000–$865,000 annually.
Savings: $415,000+ per year (~53% reduction).
The company hired contractors for all 6 positions.
Choosing between recruitment process companies
Not all recruiting outsourcing companies are equal. Many are generalists who treat IT recruitment like any other hiring, but you need specialists. Before working with an agency, ask the following questions:
“What’s your specialization?”
Red flag: “We recruit for all industries and roles.”
Good answer: “We focus exclusively on IT and technical roles in Europe.”
“How do you source candidates?”
Red flag: “We post jobs on LinkedIn and job boards.”
Good answer: “We maintain a network of 5,000+ IT professionals we’ve been building relationships with for years. 70% of our placements come from passive candidates.”
“What’s your average time-to-shortlist for a role like mine?”
Red flag: Vague answer or “it depends.”
Good answer: Specific timeframe with an explanation. “For senior backend roles, we typically present the first 3–4 candidates within 7–10 days.”
“Can I speak to 2–3 clients you’ve worked with recently?”
Red flag: Hesitation or privacy concerns.
Good answer: “Absolutely, let me connect you with.”
“What happens if I’m not happy with the candidates you send?”
Red flag: Defensive response.
Good answer: “We schedule a feedback call, adjust our search criteria, and present a new shortlist within a few days. We only succeed when you’re happy with the hire.”
“Do you understand [specific technology/framework]?”
Red flag: Vague or surface-level answers; inability to discuss the technology intelligently.
Good answer: “Yes, we work with this stack regularly. Here’s how we evaluate candidates’ proficiency with it…”
“What are your fees?”
Red flag: Lack of transparency or avoidance when explaining the fee structure.
Good answer: “Our fee is ___%, and we outline all costs upfront. There are no hidden charges, and everything is documented in our agreement.”
“What about the guarantee period?”
Red flag: Unclear terms or reluctance to explain the guarantee.
Good answer: “We offer a ___-day guarantee. If the hire doesn’t work out within that period, we replace the candidate at no additional cost. The terms are fully transparent in our contract.”
Final thoughts: Is outsourced recruitment worth it?
The decision to use a recruitment agency or not depends on:
- Pure math: Do you account for time-to-hire, quality of candidates, and total cost of vacancy?
- Focus: Does your team have time to source candidates, or should they build a product?
- Expertise: Do you understand the European IT talent market, or are you guessing?
- Network: Can you reach passive candidates, or only those actively job hunting?
- Speed: Can you wait 60+ days, or do you need someone faster?
For most US and European companies building remote teams across Europe, partnering with a specialized agency is the fastest path to the talent they need.
If you’re hiring 3+ technical roles this year, spending 15+ hours weekly on recruitment, or struggling to fill positions after 45+ days, it’s time to explore outsourcing.
Top-tier agencies are specialists who understand your tech stack, maintain active networks, and measure success by long-term retention rather than just placements.
Choose carefully, set clear expectations, and treat the agency as an extension of your team. When the partnership works well, you’ll wonder why you didn’t make the move sooner.
Getting recruitment support through DNA325
At DNA325, we source mid to senior, even executive, IT professionals across Europe for US and EU companies. Our contingent recruitment process is as follows:
- Initial candidate selection and/or phone prescreening interviews, including an English proficiency check.
- Sharing candidate information with you, such as CVs, LinkedIn profiles, and prescreening interview reports.
- Scheduling interviews with your participation.
- Maintaining communication with candidates throughout all stages of the selection process.
We also offer recruitment process outsourcing – you get ongoing support for a fixed monthly fee. It’s ideal if you have recurring vacancies and want to build long-term hiring plans with predictable costs.
Frequently asked questions
No. Agencies shortlist candidates based on your criteria, but you make all final decisions. Think of them as an extension of your team, not a replacement. You choose who to interview, who advances to the next round, and who receives offers. The agency handles the time-consuming work of sourcing and initial screening.
Reputable agencies provide detailed profiles including technical screening notes, portfolio reviews, and reference checks. Before presenting anyone, they should explain why this person matches your requirements. If you’re getting generic resumes with no context, you’re working with the wrong agency.
Specialized agencies understand cross-border employment but don’t provide legal services. They can point to solutions like employers of record (EOR), help you evaluate build-vs-buy decisions for legal entities, and guide you to contractor vs. employee classification. They know what works, even if they’re not the ones drafting contracts.
Agencies can often move faster than normal timelines for urgent needs. If you need someone within 2–3 weeks, communicate this upfront. Agencies, for example, may prioritize your search or focus on candidates with short notice periods. Emergency hiring typically costs the same but requires more flexibility in your requirements.
Yes. Standard agency agreements include protection periods (typically 12–18 months). If you hire someone the agency introduced during the engagement or shortly after, the fee applies. This protects agencies from clients using them for free sourcing. Reputable agencies clearly explain these terms upfront.
Good agencies facilitate negotiations without pressuring either side. They provide market data to ground expectations, inform candidates about total compensation packages, and help you structure competitive offers without overpaying. They want both sides happy for long-term retention.
Most specialized IT recruitment agencies work with startups, though some require minimum funding levels. Agencies understand that startups often can’t compete on salary with big tech companies but can offer equity, remote flexibility, and meaningful work. Be upfront about your stage and what you can offer. Good agencies will tell you honestly whether they can help.
