The true cost of quick fixes in recruitment

Are you familiar with the time-quality-cost triangle?‍

In essence, the triangle demonstrates that if you prioritise any two elements, the third one suffers and it's a staple concept in project management.

Over the years, I’ve adopted the time-quality-cost triangle as the “bible” of my approach to recruitment, and I’d like to share why it’s invaluable—especially if you’ve felt the sting of a poor hire.

Here’s how this dynamic shows in recruitment:

Time: getting people in quickly, but at what cost?

Here's what happens when we rush through hiring without a structured, thoughtful process:

It drains your budget: Hiring and onboarding the wrong candidate only to see them leave within months is an all-too-common scenario, adding up to extra costs: recruitment costs, training and onboarding costs, and replacement costs.

It causes you to lose top talent: A rushed process rarely gives candidates time to understand the role or feel connected to your company’s values, making it harder to win the ones you want most.

It creates a culture of mediocrity: Without time for proper vetting, you may compromise on talent, leading to a culture where standards start to slip.

Quality: the value of each hire to your business, the team, and your clients

Quality in recruitment isn’t about simply filling a position—it’s about the lasting value each team member brings. When quality is compromised, the results can be devastating.

Higher training costs for ill-fitting hires: When a candidate lacks the right skills, you’ll end up spending more on training, sometimes with no improvement.

Increased turnover: Talented employees often leave when they’re surrounded by mediocrity, leading to the best and the brightest taking their skills elsewhere.

Potential loss of clients: Substandard performance can directly affect client satisfaction, risking revenue and reputation alike.

Cost: the investment that gives you a return or .... a loss

When it comes to cost, it’s tempting to look for the cheapest hiring solutions. But minimising upfront costs can quickly escalate your spending:

Recurrent hiring expenses: Repeated recruitment, onboarding, and training for departing employees can be costly.

Hidden costs of frustration and fatigue: Without the right people, your team will bear the burden, impacting morale and productivity.

In recruitment, there’s a persistent temptation toward quick fixes: pour money into ads to reach more candidates, increase headcount to ease workloads or rely on new assessments for better candidate selection. Yet these band-aid solutions often miss the mark.

For instance:

- Job Ads: Spending more on advertising won’t help if your job ads don’t attract the right people.
- Expanding Headcount: Hiring more people won’t solve inefficiencies if they do not have the right tools to execute their job - that means training, resources and access to knowledge.
- Screening Assessments: Even with the latest assessments, candidates won’t move forward if the interview process doesn’t connect with their priorities and fails to engage them.

Ultimately, the strongest recruitment strategy is one that values both time and quality. When you invest in these—crafting an insightful, intentional hiring process—you’ll find that costs naturally come down over time.

Article was written by Fran Moisa, Headhunter & Talent Advisor - FM Search Limited, Malta.

FM Search Limited is a boutique recruitment & talent advisory firm designed to make the recruitment process more meaningful, precise, and value-driven. For more information, visit www.fmsearch.eu

This is an opinion piece and does not constitute professional advice.