26/08/2026
RPO vs. recruitment agency vs. hiring another internal recruiter — what actually makes sense for your engineering team?
There is no universally right answer. Each option solves a different problem.
Recruitment agency
Good when you have a few specific vacancies and want someone to focus on filling them.
Agencies can be especially useful for mass hiring and can bring a high volume of CVs. The trade-off is that you may get a lot of profiles to process, while the agency has limited exposure to your culture, processes, and long-term hiring needs.
Hiring another internal recruiter
Gives you someone fully immersed in your company and your culture.
But finding the right person takes time. Then comes onboarding, ramp-up, and the question of what happens when your hiring needs slow down. You're also adding another permanent salary and headcount commitment.
RPO
An RPO provider works as an extension of your talent acquisition function rather than simply filling individual vacancies.
You get a team rather than one person — with different technical specialisations, market knowledge and decades of combined recruitment experience. That outside perspective can also bring fresh eyes to your hiring process and requirements.
And unlike permanent headcount, RPO capacity can usually scale with your hiring needs.
So the question isn't really “Which option is best?”
It's “What does my engineering team need right now — more CVs, more permanent capacity, or more experienced recruitment expertise?”
