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Hire top talent by working with experienced startup recruiters

Amos Cariati

Amos Cariati

Customer Success Manager

August 28, 2024

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4 min

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Most startups don’t have the resources for a full in-house hiring and recruiting team. Sure, you might have HR employees wearing every hat possible, including the sourcing and recruiting hats, but they’re likely spread thin. And many founders might take it upon themselves to seek out top talent. The truth is, your time is better spent elsewhere.

Instead, you can outsource many of the time-consuming but necessary tasks that go into hiring to recruiting experts who know how to find top talent and how to find them quickly. Plus, they can even cut down recruiting costs significantly. If you plan on outsourcing recruiting, the first place to look is freelance recruiter services and marketplaces.

Most startups don’t have the resources for a full in-house hiring and recruiting team. Sure, you might have HR employees wearing every hat possible, including the sourcing and recruiting hats, but they’re likely spread thin. And many founders might take it upon themselves to seek out top talent. The truth is, your time is better spent elsewhere.

Instead, you can outsource many of the time-consuming but necessary tasks that go into hiring to recruiting experts who know how to find top talent and how to find them quickly. Plus, they can even cut down recruiting costs significantly. If you plan on outsourcing recruiting, the first place to look is freelance recruiter services and marketplaces.

Popular freelance recruiter services & marketplaces

Popular freelance recruiter services & marketplaces

Freelance recruiter services and recruiter marketplaces give you a convenient and secure way to find and connect with recruiters. These services and marketplaces do the legwork of putting contract and freelance recruiters all in one place, so you can easily browse your options and find a recruiter in minutes. Here are some of the most popular recruiter services and marketplaces to find your recruiting expert:

Toptal

Toptal

Toptal is a bit different from other options on the list, as you get connected to a recruiter when you sign up for their service. So, instead of finding a freelance or contract recruiter, you’re connected with a Toptal professional who will then introduce you to freelancers and contractors in the Toptal network in fields like marketing, software development, product management, etc. Here are some of the top features highlighted by Toptal:

  • Connect with an industry expert - They connect you to an expert on the Toptal team who will talk to you about your goals, needs and company culture. They then get to work finding applicants in the Toptal network to connect you to.

  • Quick hires - Toptal touts hiring in 48 hours or less, leading to quick filling of roles.

  • Top 3% - Toptal says their applicants are rigorously tested and vetted, making them the top 3% of freelance talent.

  • Pay only when satisfied - Offers a trial basis with new freelancers, so you only pay if you’re satisfied with the fit.

While Toptal can be useful for finding freelancers in the industries they have freelancers in, it might not be ideal if you’re specifically looking for a recruiter. You work through a Toptal professional, rather than hiring a freelance recruiter.

Dover (designed for startup founders)

Dover (designed for startup founders)

Dover is a recruiting marketplace designed specifically for startups. We specialize in connecting you to full-cycle startup recruiters. With Dover, benefits include:

  • Browse vetted startup recruiters - Find quality startup recruiters who have experience filling the roles startups need, quickly.

  • Flexibility - Our recruiters offer hourly pricing, instead of locking you into a lengthy contract. This flexible pricing model is perfect for startups, as you only use your recruiter when you need to fill roles.

  • Close collaboration - Once you choose a recruiter, you can work closely with them to seamlessly integrate them into your hiring pipeline. They’ll take on the hard work of sourcing, reaching out, scheduling, interviewing and whatever else you need them to do to help make your next great hire.

At Dover, we know the frustration that startups face when they’re trying to fill open roles. That’s why we’re the best recruiting marketplace for startups. We’ve created our marketplace with startups in mind, so you can build a top team at a fraction of the cost and in much less time.

Upwork

Upwork is a huge freelance marketplace where you can find freelancers and contractors in a wide variety of industries. You’ll be able to browse many freelance recruiters on their site and look at reviews of their services. Here are some of the top features highlighted by Upwork:

  • Let candidates make proposals - Upwork lets you post a detailed job description, post it and let qualified candidates come to you with proposals. 

  • Collaborate with freelancers - They let you collaborate and communicate with your recruiting freelancers directly from the app.

  • Variety of hires - Recruiters aren’t the only freelancers you can find on Upwork. They have a wide variety of freelancers for different roles and industries.

The nice thing about Upwork is the vast array of options you have, but this can also be a downside. Reviews can help with quality control, but when you choose someone from Upwork their experience can range from novice to expert, and the rates will reflect that. It’s also worth noting that since Upwork isn’t specifically focused on freelance recruiters, you may not find the experts you need to help grow your startup.

Relancer

Relancer is a service specifically dedicated to connecting employers with freelance recruiters. Here are some of the top features highlighted by Relancer:

  • Connect with talent abroad - Relancer’s main value prop is access to recruiters who can find candidates across the world. They state it can help fill positions in 150 countries.

  • Find freelancer recruiters fast - Touts a quick turnaround for finding a recruiter, with qualified recruiters landing in your inbox within 48 hours.

  • Choose from a variety of vetted recruiters - Relancer’s network consists of over 1200 vetted recruiters, giving you a variety of options.

Relancer’s worldwide platform makes it a solid option if you’re looking to find candidates who can work in specific countries.

Paraform

Paraform is a recruiter marketplace that connects you with recruiters who specialize in filling startup roles and niche roles. Some top features highlighted by Paraform include:

  • Recruiters who specialize in niche roles - Paraform has recruiters who specialize in filling difficult-to-fill roles in startups, research companies, manufacturing and more.

  • Flexibility - They allow you to customize recruiting services based on your hiring needs.

  • Integrations - Paraform integrates with key recruiting tools like Slack, email, calendars, your ATS and more.

Paraform can be a good option if you need a flexible recruiting marketplace that connects you to recruiters who can find specialized roles.

Other recruitment options

Working with a freelance recruiter or finding recruiters on a recruiting marketplace is usually the most cost-effective and flexible option for startups, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only options. If it works for you, you might also consider looking at recruiting agencies or finding a recruiter in your existing network. There are certainly upsides and downsides to both options, but they may be worth looking into depending on the needs of your startup.

Working with a recruiting agency

Partnering with a recruiting agency is similar to hiring a marketing company to handle your marketing needs. You essentially get a team that acts as your recruiter. These agencies typically have established networks, technology and processes in place to help connect you to a broad pool of candidates. The problem with recruiting agencies is that they can often be overly expensive and you may have less control over the selection process. Recruiting agencies can sometimes be good options for bigger companies, but growing startups may be better served by looking at a more flexible and agile option.

Looking for a contract recruiter within your network

Recruiting marketplaces are great ways to find new freelance options but don’t count out your existing network as an option. You can check platforms like LinkedIn to see if you already know some contract recruiters who can help you with your hiring woes. This way, there’s already a relationship established, which can sometimes make the process of working with a contractor easier. With that being said, this method can sometimes be time-consuming as you search for options and your pool of choices might be limited. There are also no guarantees, where most marketplaces will work with you to ensure you’re satisfied with the services of their recruiting partners.

Working with a freelance recruiter or finding recruiters on a recruiting marketplace is usually the most cost-effective and flexible option for startups, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only options. If it works for you, you might also consider looking at recruiting agencies or finding a recruiter in your existing network. There are certainly upsides and downsides to both options, but they may be worth looking into depending on the needs of your startup.

Working with a recruiting agency

Partnering with a recruiting agency is similar to hiring a marketing company to handle your marketing needs. You essentially get a team that acts as your recruiter. These agencies typically have established networks, technology and processes in place to help connect you to a broad pool of candidates. The problem with recruiting agencies is that they can often be overly expensive and you may have less control over the selection process. Recruiting agencies can sometimes be good options for bigger companies, but growing startups may be better served by looking at a more flexible and agile option.

Looking for a contract recruiter within your network

Recruiting marketplaces are great ways to find new freelance options but don’t count out your existing network as an option. You can check platforms like LinkedIn to see if you already know some contract recruiters who can help you with your hiring woes. This way, there’s already a relationship established, which can sometimes make the process of working with a contractor easier. With that being said, this method can sometimes be time-consuming as you search for options and your pool of choices might be limited. There are also no guarantees, where most marketplaces will work with you to ensure you’re satisfied with the services of their recruiting partners.

Working with a freelance recruiter or finding recruiters on a recruiting marketplace is usually the most cost-effective and flexible option for startups, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only options. If it works for you, you might also consider looking at recruiting agencies or finding a recruiter in your existing network. There are certainly upsides and downsides to both options, but they may be worth looking into depending on the needs of your startup.

Working with a recruiting agency

Partnering with a recruiting agency is similar to hiring a marketing company to handle your marketing needs. You essentially get a team that acts as your recruiter. These agencies typically have established networks, technology and processes in place to help connect you to a broad pool of candidates. The problem with recruiting agencies is that they can often be overly expensive and you may have less control over the selection process. Recruiting agencies can sometimes be good options for bigger companies, but growing startups may be better served by looking at a more flexible and agile option.

Looking for a contract recruiter within your network

Recruiting marketplaces are great ways to find new freelance options but don’t count out your existing network as an option. You can check platforms like LinkedIn to see if you already know some contract recruiters who can help you with your hiring woes. This way, there’s already a relationship established, which can sometimes make the process of working with a contractor easier. With that being said, this method can sometimes be time-consuming as you search for options and your pool of choices might be limited. There are also no guarantees, where most marketplaces will work with you to ensure you’re satisfied with the services of their recruiting partners.

Common challenges with traditional recruiting methods

Traditional recruiting methods, while effective in some cases, come with common challenges that can be particularly problematic for startups. These challenges include:

  • High costs - Recruiting and hiring can be a costly process. Startups can’t always afford to pour money into their recruiting processes, but they also need to bring top talent on board. Recruiting in-house or using an agency often just doesn’t fit into a typical startup budget.

  • Long time-to-hire - Startups grow fast and they have to be agile. Traditional recruiting methods can lead to a long time to hire, and when you need to fill roles immediately, that’s time you can’t afford to waste.

  • Lack of flexibility - Traditional recruiting solutions can lock you into long contracts, but startups need flexible and scalable solutions. That’s where marketplaces like Dover can help.

Traditional recruiting methods, while effective in some cases, come with common challenges that can be particularly problematic for startups. These challenges include:

  • High costs - Recruiting and hiring can be a costly process. Startups can’t always afford to pour money into their recruiting processes, but they also need to bring top talent on board. Recruiting in-house or using an agency often just doesn’t fit into a typical startup budget.

  • Long time-to-hire - Startups grow fast and they have to be agile. Traditional recruiting methods can lead to a long time to hire, and when you need to fill roles immediately, that’s time you can’t afford to waste.

  • Lack of flexibility - Traditional recruiting solutions can lock you into long contracts, but startups need flexible and scalable solutions. That’s where marketplaces like Dover can help.

Traditional recruiting methods, while effective in some cases, come with common challenges that can be particularly problematic for startups. These challenges include:

  • High costs - Recruiting and hiring can be a costly process. Startups can’t always afford to pour money into their recruiting processes, but they also need to bring top talent on board. Recruiting in-house or using an agency often just doesn’t fit into a typical startup budget.

  • Long time-to-hire - Startups grow fast and they have to be agile. Traditional recruiting methods can lead to a long time to hire, and when you need to fill roles immediately, that’s time you can’t afford to waste.

  • Lack of flexibility - Traditional recruiting solutions can lock you into long contracts, but startups need flexible and scalable solutions. That’s where marketplaces like Dover can help.

Why startup founders choose Dover

At Dover, we’ve designed our recruiter marketplace specifically with startup founders in mind. This means making our marketplace easy to use and cost-effective while also ensuring you get connected with high-quality recruiters. 

We provide access to a curated network of expert, full-cycle recruiters who know how to hire for startups. These recruiters also offer flexible hourly pricing, so you can use them as often or as little as needed. Once you’ve connected with your recruiter, you can work closely with them, introducing them to your company culture, hiring tools and hiring processes. They can then seamlessly collaborate with you and take care of the heavy recruiting load, bringing you the top talent you need to grow your startup and succeed.

At Dover, we’ve designed our recruiter marketplace specifically with startup founders in mind. This means making our marketplace easy to use and cost-effective while also ensuring you get connected with high-quality recruiters. 

We provide access to a curated network of expert, full-cycle recruiters who know how to hire for startups. These recruiters also offer flexible hourly pricing, so you can use them as often or as little as needed. Once you’ve connected with your recruiter, you can work closely with them, introducing them to your company culture, hiring tools and hiring processes. They can then seamlessly collaborate with you and take care of the heavy recruiting load, bringing you the top talent you need to grow your startup and succeed.

At Dover, we’ve designed our recruiter marketplace specifically with startup founders in mind. This means making our marketplace easy to use and cost-effective while also ensuring you get connected with high-quality recruiters. 

We provide access to a curated network of expert, full-cycle recruiters who know how to hire for startups. These recruiters also offer flexible hourly pricing, so you can use them as often or as little as needed. Once you’ve connected with your recruiter, you can work closely with them, introducing them to your company culture, hiring tools and hiring processes. They can then seamlessly collaborate with you and take care of the heavy recruiting load, bringing you the top talent you need to grow your startup and succeed.

Work with one of our expert recruiter partners today!

Ready to take your hiring to the next level and find a recruiting partner today? Check out our recruiter marketplace to find your ideal recruiter. Also, make sure to check out our free ATS to strengthen your hiring pipeline.

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Table of contents

Popular freelance recruiter services & marketplaces

Popular freelance recruiter services & marketplaces

Toptal

Toptal

Dover (designed for startup founders)

Dover (designed for startup founders)

Upwork

Upwork

Upwork

Relancer

Relancer

Relancer

Paraform

Relancer

Relancer

Other recruitment options

Relancer

Relancer

Common challenges with traditional recruiting methods

Relancer

Relancer

Why startup founders choose Dover

Relancer

Relancer

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