Specialist recruiting
Use when sourcing and screening quality are the bottleneck. You usually employ the hire directly.
Best for focused roles and a lower interview burden.Buy the solution
to the right bottleneck.
Recruiters, marketplaces, staffing firms, EORs, and outsourcers increasingly overlap. They do not solve the same primary problem.
A simple decision model
Start here.
Marketplaces & job boards
Use when your team can define roles, assess candidates, and manage the hiring process.
Best for control and lower starting cost.EOR, COR & payroll
Use after you find the person and need compliant contracts, payroll, taxes, or benefits.
Best for employment infrastructure, not sourcing.Managed delivery
Use when you need an accountable team or technical outcome rather than an individual hire.
Best for scoped execution and team capacity.Commercial reality
Compare total lock-in, not the headline fee.
Ask who employs the worker, what happens if you hire them directly, and whether the provider margin continues for the life of the relationship.
ModelYou manageProvider managesWatch for
RecruiterEmployment, payroll, performanceSourcing and screeningPlacement fee, guarantee terms
MarketplaceRole definition, screening, managementDiscovery and sometimes paymentPlatform markup, conversion fee
Staffing / EORDay-to-day directionEmployment, payroll, compliancePermanent margin, worker conversion
Managed deliveryBusiness outcome and acceptanceTeam, delivery, technical managementScope control, knowledge transfer
Research before the sales call
Use the directory to build a defensible shortlist.
Compare models, public prices, guarantees, employer-of-record structure, and candidate-side signals.
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