RPO for startups
RPO stands for recruitment process outsourcing. Instead of paying an agency for each person it finds, you pay a monthly price for a team that runs your hiring.
Your team
Finding people and hiring them are different skills. You get someone for each.
The sourcer finds people
They search LinkedIn Recruiter, Apollo and ZoomInfo for people who fit, get their contact details, and send the first messages.
The recruiter runs the hire
They work out what you need, interview candidates, send you the best ones, and keep everyone moving through to a signed offer.
Compare
Each one can be the right call. Here’s the honest difference.
| Hirearky | Recruiting agency | In-house recruiter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you pay | One flat monthly price | 20–25% of first-year salary, per hire | Salary, benefits and tools |
| On a $150,000 hire | No fee on top of your plan | $30,000–$37,500 | No fee, after a full-time salary |
| Recruiting tools | Included | Theirs, for their own use | You buy them |
| Who runs hiring | Your recruiter and sourcer | A recruiter paid per placement | Your employee |
| Your hiring process | Built with you, and yours to keep | Usually stays with the agency | Yours, once you build it |
| When hiring slows | Pause your plan | No cost until the next hire | Salary keeps running |
| If no one is hired | You still pay the monthly plan | You pay nothing | You still pay the salary |
How it works
1. Kickoff
We learn your company, agree what each role needs, and write a clear scorecard together.
2. Setup
We get your applicant tracking system and hiring process ready, or tune the ones you have.
3. Sourcing
Your sourcer finds the right people, including those not looking, and starts the conversation.
4. Screening
Your recruiter interviews candidates and introduces only the ones worth your time.
5. Interviews and offer
We schedule the interviews and help with the offer. You make the personal pitch.
6. Adjust or pause
Swap roles as priorities change, and pause when hiring slows.
Founder questions
Recruitment process outsourcing. A company pays an outside team to run its recruiting and act as its recruiting function, rather than paying a fee each time someone is hired.
For Seed & Series A founders
See if RPO fits your startup.
Tell us what you’re hiring for. If a monthly plan isn’t right for you, we’ll say so.