Choosing a recruiter
How do I find employees for a small business?
There are four routes and they cost very differently. Your own network and referrals cost nothing and fill a surprising share of small-business roles. A job advert on the main UK boards costs £399 to £599 +VAT and reaches people who are actively looking. A recruitment agency charges 15–25% of salary to do the whole job. A flat-fee managed search charges one figure, £1,500 to £4,000 +VAT, for the same work. Start with the cheapest route that can realistically reach the person you need, and escalate only when it does not.
The four routes, cheapest first
| Route | Cost | Reaches | Works when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Network and referrals | Free | People one step from you | The role is common and local |
| Job advert | £399 – £599 +VAT | People actively looking | The market is looking |
| Recruitment agency | 15–25% of salary | Looking and not looking | You want it handled |
| Flat-fee managed search | £1,500 – £4,000 +VAT | Looking and not looking | You want it handled at a known price |
The mistake small employers make is not picking the wrong route. It is paying for route four when route two would have worked, or grinding through route two for six weeks when the people who can do the job were never going to see an advert.
How to tell which one you need
Ask what happened last time. If your last advert produced applications and one or two were worth interviewing, advertise again — the market is looking and you do not need to buy a search. If it produced nothing usable, more advertising will produce more of the same, and the people you want are employed elsewhere and need approaching.
The other test is your own diary. Somebody has to read the applications. Across the 46 roles we filled it took a median of 26 candidates worked to produce one hire, and most of those conversations happened after 6pm because the candidate was at work. If nobody in your business genuinely has those evenings, a cheap advert is not cheap — the applications sit unread for ten days and the good ones accept something else.
What it costs to get it wrong
A vacancy left open has a running cost: the work not being done, the overtime covering it, and the customer you could not serve. Against that, the difference between a £399 advert and a £2,000 search is small if the search fills it and the advert does not. It is the six weeks of neither that is expensive.
Time to fill across those 46 roles: median 42 days, with the middle half between 29 and 68 days. Plan for six weeks, not two.
Practical order for a first or second hire
- Write the job down properly — what the person will actually do in week one, not a list of adjectives. How to write a job advert.
- Put the salary in it. Adverts without a salary get materially fewer applications, and you spend the saved argument later anyway. Should I put the salary in a job advert?
- Ask your team and your customers. Referrals are the cheapest hire you will ever make.
- Advertise for two weeks. If nothing usable arrives, stop paying for reach and start paying for search.
- Then buy the search, at a price you agreed before it started.
Where we fit
We do both halves and price them separately, so you can buy the cheap one first. A job advert is £399 +VAT across the main UK boards for 28 days. A managed search is £1,500 to £4,000 +VAT by salary band, with the whole fee refunded if the role is not filled. If you are hiring your first professional employee, there is a longer guide here.
FAQs
What is the cheapest way to find staff? Referrals, then a job advert. The cheapest advertising routes compared.
Do I have to use an agency? No. Plenty of small employers hire well without one. It is a question of whether you have the evenings. Can I hire without a recruitment agency?
How long should I leave a job advert running? Long enough to judge, short enough to react — most of the useful applications arrive early. How long should a job advert run?
How many applicants should I expect? It varies enormously by role and area. The number that matters is not applications but people worth interviewing. How many candidates does it take to make a hire?
Sources
Want the fixed price for your role?
Advertise it yourself from £399 +VAT, or hand the whole search to a dedicated recruiter — a flat fee by salary band with a 100% refund if the role is not filled.
See Guaranteed Hire Advertise a job
Or call 0161 327 2895.