At some point, every growing startup faces this decision: should we hire a full-time recruiter, or bring in a fractional recruiter to handle our hiring needs? The answer depends on your hiring volume, budget, timeline, and how much recruiting capacity you need in six months versus right now.
Both models have genuine strengths. The right choice is not about which one is "better" in the abstract. It is about which one matches your current situation.
What a fractional recruiter does
A fractional recruiter is an experienced recruiting professional who works with your company on a part-time or project basis. They might dedicate 15 to 30 hours per week to your hiring needs, handling sourcing, screening, interview coordination, and offer management. Some fractional recruiters work independently; others come through a service that embeds them into your team.
The key distinction is that a fractional recruiter brings built-in experience from day one. There is no six-month ramp period. They have seen the patterns, built the processes, and know how to calibrate quickly for a new environment. Most fractional recruiters can start delivering qualified candidates within two to three weeks.
What a full-time recruiter does
A full-time in-house recruiter is a permanent employee dedicated entirely to your hiring function. They build deep institutional knowledge over time, develop long-term candidate relationships, and become a cultural ambassador for your company. As the organization grows, they become the foundation of an internal talent acquisition team.
The tradeoff is time and cost. Finding a strong recruiter takes two to three months. Once hired, they need another one to two months to ramp on your company, your market, and your processes. You are five months into the investment before seeing consistent output. The fully loaded cost, including salary, benefits, equity, and tools, typically runs $120,000 to $180,000 per year.
The comparison
| Factor | Fractional Recruiter | Full-Time Recruiter |
|---|---|---|
| Time to impact | 2 to 3 weeks | 3 to 5 months |
| Annual cost | $48K to $84K (varies by hours) | $120K to $180K fully loaded |
| Commitment | Month-to-month | Full-time employee |
| Experience level | Senior (typically 5 to 15 years) | Varies widely |
| Scalability | Adjust hours up or down | Fixed capacity |
| Cultural depth | Good (with embedded model) | Excellent (over time) |
| Hiring volume ceiling | Moderate (2 to 5 roles/month) | Higher (4 to 8 roles/month) |
| Risk if hiring slows | Scale down or pause | Paying full salary regardless |
When fractional makes more sense
The fractional model is typically the better fit when your startup has 10 to 75 employees with steady but not overwhelming hiring needs. When you need experienced recruiting capacity right now, not in five months. When your hiring volume fluctuates, with bursts after funding rounds or product launches followed by quieter periods. When you want to test the value of dedicated recruiting before committing to a permanent hire. Or when your budget does not support the fully loaded cost of a senior recruiter.
The fractional model also works well as a bridge. Many companies start with a fractional recruiter, validate the value of dedicated recruiting capacity, and later transition to a full-time hire when the volume justifies it. The fractional recruiter can even help hire their own replacement and ensure a smooth transition.
When full-time makes more sense
A full-time recruiter becomes the right choice when your company is consistently hiring four or more people per month and expects to sustain that pace for the foreseeable future. When you are building a talent acquisition function that will grow to multiple recruiters. When you want someone who will become a deep cultural expert over years, not months. Or when your stage and size justify the long-term investment in a permanent team member.
For most companies, this tipping point comes somewhere between 75 and 150 employees, though it varies by industry and growth rate.
The hybrid approach
Some companies find that the best answer is not either/or. A full-time recruiter handles your core, ongoing hiring while a fractional recruiter provides surge capacity during peak periods. This gives you the institutional knowledge of a permanent team member combined with the flexibility to scale during critical growth phases.
The hybrid model also protects against the single point of failure problem. If your sole full-time recruiter leaves, having an embedded fractional partner who already knows your company means you do not lose all your recruiting capacity at once.
Making the decision
Start by answering three questions honestly. How many hires do you need in the next six months? Is your hiring volume predictable or does it come in bursts? And can you afford to wait three to five months for a full-time recruiter to find, hire, and ramp?
If you need results in the next 30 days, the fractional model wins on timeline alone. If you are planning for sustained, high-volume hiring over the next two years, a full-time recruiter is a better long-term investment. And if you are somewhere in between, the fractional model gives you the flexibility to figure it out without overcommitting.