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Dataforge
  • €75–€100 per hour, typical
  • Flexible monthly hours
  • Offered by Dataforge

Hourly recruitment: a recruiter's time, where you need it.

Book a set number of recruiter hours a month and use them for a full search or for one stage: sourcing, candidate mapping, interviews or building your hiring process. You see the work, set the priorities and can change them any week.

Book a hiring callEstimate the cost

timesheet: october

40 h

  1. Sourcing: backend roles

    14 h · 38 profiles

  2. Candidate mapping

    8 h · market report

  3. Screening calls

    12 h · 11 candidates

  4. Interview training

    6 h · hiring managers

40 h × €75 = €3,000 this month

  • €75–100

    a typical hourly rate

  • 20–80 h

    a common monthly commitment

  • Any stage

    sourcing, interviews or process design

  • Monthly

    billing, adjusted as priorities change

How it works

You buy recruiter hours, not a placement

You agree a rate and a monthly hour budget, then decide each week where the hours go.

Key facts

Commitment
Medium
How you pay
Hourly rate, monthly hours
Typical cost
€75–€100 per hour
Replacement guarantee
Usually none
Recruiting tools paid by
You

Offered by Dataforge

How it works

You pay an external recruiter or agency an hourly rate, usually with an agreed number of hours per month.

The hours can go to a full search or to one stage of it: sourcing, candidate mapping, interviewing, interview training or designing your hiring process.

Typical market examples

Agency · 30 h × €100
€3,000 / month
Freelance recruiter · 40 h × €75
€3,000 / month

A typical engagement

How hourly recruitment runs

  1. Scope

    We agree the roles or tasks, a monthly hour budget and how you want to follow progress.

  2. Plan

    Each week you set the priorities: which roles, which stage, which deadlines.

  3. Work

    The recruiter sources, screens, interviews or builds process, and logs every hour against a task.

  4. Review

    A monthly report shows hours, pipeline and results, and you adjust next month's budget.

Cost calculator

Estimate your monthly cost

Set the hours, rate and duration to see the monthly and total cost.

30 h
€80
3

Estimate

Per month
€2,400
Total
€7,200

Estimate only. Tools such as LinkedIn Recruiter seats and paid job ads are usually billed separately.

Pros and cons

What hourly recruitment does well, and where it falls short

Advantages

  • Your priorities

    Move hours between roles at any time, so the urgent role gets the time.

  • Buy one stage only

    Outsource sourcing or interviews and keep the rest of the process in-house.

  • A part-time recruiter

    Get recruiting capacity without a permanent hire or a long contract.

  • Spread costs

    One monthly invoice instead of a large fee for every hire.

  • Cheaper at volume

    With several similar roles, hours often cost less than a percentage per placement.

  • Transparent work

    Every hour is tied to a task, so you can see what you are paying for.

Disadvantages

  • No guaranteed hire

    Hours are billed whether or not a candidate signs.

  • Can get expensive

    Over a year or more, a full-time in-house recruiter may cost less.

  • No reward for speed

    An hourly rate pays for time, not results, so set clear goals together.

  • Usually no guarantee

    If a hire leaves early, the replacement search is billed again.

  • Tools on top

    LinkedIn Recruiter, job ads and assessments are usually your cost.

Is it right for you?

When hourly recruitment makes sense, and when it doesn't

Hourly works best when you know what needs doing and want flexible capacity, not a single guaranteed placement.

Good fit

Choose it when

  • You don't have an in-house recruiter
  • You need help with specific tasks: sourcing, mapping, interviews
  • You have several similar roles open
  • You plan a long collaboration with one recruiter

Poor fit

Look elsewhere when

  • You want to pay only for results
  • One hard role must close, with a guarantee
  • Nobody can set priorities each week

Comparison

Hourly vs installment vs RPO

Comparison of hourly, installment (retained) recruitment and RPO
HourlyInstallment (retained)RPO
How you payHours worked, monthly2–3 installments per roleFixed monthly fee
Typical cost€75–€100 per hour15–30% of salary per hireSized by open roles
Hire guaranteeUsually none4–6 month replacementThe team reopens the role
Tools paid byYouRecruiterRPO provider
FlexibilityChange hours monthlyPer roleResize the team monthly
Best forSpecific tasks, similar rolesKey or hard-to-fill rolesMany roles, fast growth

FAQ

Hourly recruitment FAQ

How much does an hourly recruiter cost?

Agencies typically charge around €100 an hour and freelance recruiters around €75. At 30–40 hours a month that's about €3,000 a month.

What can I use the hours for?

Any part of hiring: sourcing and headhunting, candidate profile mapping, screening calls, interviews, interview training for your managers, job ads or designing your hiring process.

Is a hire guaranteed?

No. You pay for time and work done, not for a placement. That's why we agree clear goals and report pipeline progress every month.

Is hourly cheaper than a placement fee?

With several similar roles it often is, because the same sourcing work serves every role. For one senior role, installment pricing is usually better value.

Who pays for LinkedIn Recruiter and job ads?

With hourly pricing, usually you. We tell you upfront which tools a search needs and what they cost.

Can we switch to installment or RPO later?

Yes. Many clients start hourly, then move to installment pricing for a key hire or to RPO when hiring grows.

Other pricing models

Compare it with the other recruitment models

Each model trades cost, speed and commitment differently.

See all four models side by side

Need a few recruiter hours a month?

Book a 30-minute call. Tell us the roles or tasks, and we'll propose a monthly hour budget within one business day.

Book a hiring callEmail us