This article is for development managers who, like you, are suddenly getting responses to job postings again.

And who then think:
“Do I really need a recruitment agency? Or can we just handle this ourselves?”

If that’s where you’re at — this is for you.

Because right now, with more movement in the market,
freelancers looking for new roles again,
and internal recruitment teams slowly finding their rhythm,
we see more and more managers deciding to go it alone again.

Makes sense.
But: what does it really cost?
And where are the risks that only show up later?

We’ve placed over 1,000 software developers and engineers,
and guided tens of thousands of hiring processes.
This article shares the key lessons we’ve learned —
so you can make sharper choices,
whether you want to handle it all yourself
or bring in the right support.

What it really costs to do it yourself

You post the vacancy.
You get 300 responses.
Seems manageable, until you have to go through them.

Here’s a rough breakdown:

250 CVs: not a fit
50 serious profiles → 5 min each = 4 hours
20 intake calls → 45 min each = 15 hours
6 second-round interviews with your team = 6 hours

Coordination, admin, internal alignment = 4 hours

→ That’s 29 hours of your time as a development manager
→ Internal value of your time: €100/hour → €2,900

And that’s just your time.

Your time ➡️ ± €2.900

Job promotion (LinkedIn, etc.) ➡️± €1.000

Internal recruiter (freelance) ➡️± 10 uur × €80 = €800

Senior engineers' interview time ➡️± €1.200

→ Subtotal per hire : ± €5.900 per hire

And then there’s the one you’d rather avoid: the mismatch

You make a hire.
Looks solid on paper.
Experience matches.
CV is amazing.
But 6 to 12 months later… they’re gone.

Now you’ve lost:

Time
Team focus
Trust
And you’re back to square one.

Cost of a senior developer or engineer who leaves within a year: ~ €58,500

(Source: our full article on this)

“But the CV looked great…”

That is exactly the point.

A good CV may look like half the battle,
but in reality, it’s only the beginning.
Especially when you’re staring at 300 of them.

Asking the right questions, reading between the lines,
spotting red flags, that only works when you:

Have full focus

Have done this many, many times

And have experience in this specific type of conversation

Because someone might be technically great,
and still not work out due to:

Motivation (money vs. meaning)
Misaligned expectations (role, team, challenges)
Culture fit (rhythm, values, personality)
Or: they say yes, but mentally still live at their old job

Without experience, you’ll rarely notice:

When someone is just chasing a higher salary
When there’s a mismatch between their reason for leaving and your offer
When someone isn’t truly ready to switch
When a relocator quietly changes their mind after 3 months
When someone’s already decided but goes through the motions out of politeness

That’s where the difference is made.

Not in the intent.
But in the interpretation.

And that takes:

Knowing which questions to ask
Recognizing real answers vs. socially acceptable ones
Running the conversation like a sparring partner, not a salesperson

It takes time, pattern recognition, and experience, in one specific market.
Which, logically, most development managers don’t have.

Recruitment isn’t a cost, it’s a multiplier

What if, instead of sifting through 300 CVs…

You receive 2 or 3
One feels exactly right
You hire them, and they’re still contributing with energy three years later?

Then yes, maybe you paid €20,000.
But only if it worked.
No pressure. No wasted time. No repetition.

You build software. We build teams.

We’re not here to push.
We’re here to help you make a conscious choice.

Because if you know exactly what you’re doing — great.
But if you’re thinking: “I’ll just do it myself, because then at least I know it gets done...”
this article might just give you the insight to make better decisions.

Better selection.
Better teams.
Better results.

That’s why we offer up to 9 months of guarantee on our placements.
Because we follow a proven process where:

Every candidate is screened for 1 hour

Every mismatch risk is addressed up front

Motivation, context, and potential are aligned before you meet them

That’s not luck.
That’s pattern recognition from tens of thousands of interviews.
It’s a trained gut feeling, and the vast experience of acting on it.

We’re happy to share that with you.
On a no cure no pay basis.
No noise. No pressure. Just clarity.

So you can get back to building.

With the right people, that stay.