The Hidden Costs of Recruiting:
How Small Businesses Can Save Money and…

Rachel McFarland

Jan 30, 2025 2 min read
The Hidden Costs of Recruiting:

How Small Businesses Can Save Money and Time

For small and medium-sized businesses, every dollar counts. Yet many businesses don’t realize just how much recruiting costs them – both in terms of money and valuable time. Let’s take a look at recruiting expenses and explore how new technology and flexible solutions are changing the game for growing businesses.

The True Price Tag of Recruiting

When businesses calculate recruiting costs, they often focus solely on the obvious expenses: job board postings and recruiter fees. However, the real cost runs much deeper.

Recruiting typically demands:

  • Agency fees ranging from 15-30% of the hired candidate’s first-year salary
  • Monthly minimums and retainer fees, regardless of hiring success
  • Long-term contracts that are onerous to read and lock you into services you may not consistently need
  • Internal staff time spent managing recruiting relationships and processes

But it’s not just about the direct costs. Hidden expenses include:

  • Opportunity costs from delayed hiring due to rigid recruiting processes
  • Resources spent on candidate coordination and scheduling
  • Time invested in managing multiple recruiting relationships
  • Technology investments in various tools and platforms
  • Training costs for internal staff handling recruitment tasks

For a typical mid-level hire with a $70,000 salary, recruiting costs can easily exceed $17,500 when factoring in all these elements. That’s a significant investment for any small business and for most too high of a price.

A Better Way: The Pay-For-The-Hours-You-Need Revolution

The Recruiting Squad was built specifically to address these pain points. Our new model flips recruiting on its head by offering:

Hourly, Pay for What You Need Pricing

Instead of hefty percentage-based fees or monthly retainers, you pay hourly only for the time  actually needed with no complex contracts. Whether you need help with a single position or multiple positions, you maintain complete control over your recruiting budget.

Professional Expertise Without the Premium Price Tag

Access experienced recruiters who understand your industry, without the agency markup. Our recruiters bring years of expertise but work within our efficient, streamlined hourly model to keep your costs down.

Digital Platform

Our digital platform eliminates the time consuming hassle of tracking the recruiting process through your inbox. Everything you need – from communication with your dedicated recruiting manager to interview scheduling – is available in one intuitive interface.

Interested in reading more recruiting insights?


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