What Are the Different Types of Recruitment Solutions? And How Do You Know Which One Fits Your Business?
Finding great people is hard enough. But choosing how to hire them can get really, really complicated
From permanent hires to contractor support and project-based delivery, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to recruitment. Each model is designed to solve a different problem, and the right choice depends on your goals, timelines, and internal resources.
Here’s how each recruitment solution works, and how to know which one is right for you.
What is Permanent Recruitment?
Permanent recruitment focuses on finding professionals who will become part of your organisation for the long haul. It’s ideal when you’re building teams, strengthening leadership, or securing business-critical expertise that shapes your company’s future.
A good recruitment partner will:
· Understand your company culture, values, and goals.
· Identify candidates who bring both technical skill and long-term potential.
· Prioritise retention, ensuring hires integrate seamlessly and stay.
Permanent recruitment focuses on the future of your business and making sure it’s a successful one.
What is Contract Recruitment?
Contract recruitment gives you access to skilled professionals for short-term or project-specific work. It’s a smart choice for organisations managing fluctuating demand, seasonal peaks, or specialist technical needs.
A contractor workforce allows you to:
· Scale quickly without long-term headcount commitments
· Bring in niche expertise for a defined period
· Maintain compliance through expert management of IR35, payroll, and contracts.
The right recruitment partner will handle every detail, from sourcing to compliance, so you can focus on delivery.
What is Project-Based or Statement of Work (SOW) Recruitment?
Project-based or SOW recruitment is designed for organisations delivering complex, outcome-driven projects that require a specific skill set for a defined timeframe.
Instead of hiring individuals, you engage a recruitment partner to deliver the results, assembling, managing, and overseeing a project team to ensure milestones are met on time and within scope.
It’s ideal for sectors like Energy, Renewables, Tech, and Infrastructure, where specialist expertise is crucial to success.
This approach helps you:
· Access entire teams with proven delivery experience.
· Maintain oversight while reducing administrative burden.
· Ensure accountability from start to finish.
What is In-House Recruitment or PRO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing)?
In-house recruitment, also known as RPO, embeds external expertise directly into your organisation.
You gain a dedicated recruitment partner who works as part of your internal team, managing hiring end-to-end while aligning with your brand, culture, and goals.
RPO is best suited for businesses with high-volume or continuous hiring needs and offers:
· Scalable recruitment capacity without increasing internal overheads.
· Consistent candidate experience across every role.
· Data-driven insights to improve hiring efficiency.
It’s the perfect blend of partnership and performance, giving you the benefits of an internal recruiter with the reach of an external specialist.
What is Executive and Retained Search?
Executive search focuses on finding senior leaders, niche experts, or board-level professionals who aren’t actively applying for new roles.
It’s a strategic, research-driven process that maps the market, identifies top performers, and engages them confidentially.
For companies looking to drive transformation, innovation, or growth, executive search provides:
· Access to hidden talent not found through job boards.
· Discreet, targeted engagement with senior professionals.
· A consultative process that ensures cultural and strategic alignment.
What is People Intelligence?
Before you hire, it pays to understand the landscape. People Intelligence is about understanding the talent market.
By combining data, insight, and human expertise, it helps you:
· Identify where key skills exist globally.
· Benchmark your business against competitors.
· Understand salary trends, movement patterns, and retention risks.
· Make confident, data-led workforce decisions.
It’s a unique offering from Vallum Associates that helps companies plan smarter, hire faster, and futureproof their teams.
Still unsure which approach is right for you? That’s exactly where we come in. Many of our clients also mix and match our solutions to create an ultimate solution that hits every single one of their needs.
Let’s Build the Right Solution for Your Business
Every organisation’s hiring needs are different, so the right solution depends on your goals, timelines, and resources.
At Vallum, we bring all these models together under one partnership, helping companies across the globe attract, secure, and retain world-class talent.
Whether you’re looking for a single placement or a full-scale workforce strategy, our consultants can guide you towards the right approach…and deliver it.
