Every fast-growing startup hits this inflection point: hiring managers are drowning in recruiting work, roles are taking forever to fill, and someone suggests "maybe we need a recruiter?" But when exactly is the right time, and what should you look for?

The Wrong Reasons to Hire a Recruiter

Let's start with when NOT to hire your first recruiter:

"We're hiring a lot" - Volume alone isn't the trigger. We've seen 200-person companies without recruiters and 30-person companies with two.
"Hiring managers are complaining" - They'll always complain. That's not a signal.
"Everyone else has one" - Your peer companies have different needs.

The Right Signals

Here are the actual signals that indicate it's time:

Signal 1: Hiring Velocity Matters More Than Cost

When you're early stage, every dollar matters. Founders and hiring managers can scrappily recruit. But at some point, the cost of SLOW hiring exceeds the cost of a recruiter.

If a delayed engineering hire costs you $50K in lost product velocity, and a recruiter costs $120K, the math works out fast.

Signal 2: You're Hiring 3+ People Per Month Consistently

One-off hires can be handled by hiring managers. But when you're consistently hiring multiple people per month, recruiting becomes a full-time job.

At 3 hires/month, you're probably running 30-50 active candidates through your pipeline at any time. That's a full-time workload.

Signal 3: Specialized Roles Are Taking 4+ Months

Engineers, designers, and product managers require specialized recruiting. If these roles consistently take 4+ months to fill, you need someone focused on them full-time.

A good recruiter will cut that time in half, which compounds quickly.

Signal 4: Hiring Managers Are Spending 20+ Hours/Week Recruiting

If your VP Engineering is spending half their time recruiting, you're wasting expensive talent. Their time is better spent on product and team.

When senior leaders are spending 20+ hours weekly on recruiting, it's time to bring in a specialist.

What to Look For in Your First Recruiter

Your first recruiter is a critical hire. Here's what matters:

1. Generalist Over Specialist

Don't hire a "technical recruiter" or "sales recruiter." You need someone who can recruit across roles.

Early-stage recruiting is about building process, not deep specialization. Specialists come later.

2. Startup Experience

Agency recruiters and big-company recruiters often struggle at startups. The work is completely different:

No employer brand to lean on
Selling the vision, not just the role
Building process from scratch
Wearing multiple hats

Look for someone with startup recruiting experience at a company similar to yours in stage and industry.

3. Full-Cycle Experience

Your first recruiter needs to handle the entire recruiting cycle:

Sourcing candidates
Screening and interviewing
Coordinating interviews
Managing offers
Negotiating compensation

4. Process Builder

You're not just hiring someone to fill roles. You're hiring someone to build your recruiting function.

Look for candidates who can articulate how they've built recruiting processes before. Ask: "What recruiting process did you build at your last company?"

What Not to Expect

Set realistic expectations for your first recruiter:

They won't fill every role immediately - Good recruiting still takes 6-12 weeks for most roles
They need hiring manager engagement - Recruiters don't work in isolation. Hiring managers still need to interview, make decisions, and sell candidates
They're not HR - Don't expect them to handle onboarding, benefits, or HR operations
They won't reduce cost-per-hire dramatically - You'll still pay referral bonuses and recruiter fees for some roles

How to Structure the Role

Title and level matter:

Title: "Recruiting Lead" or "Head of Talent" signals this is a building role, not just a recruiter seat
Level: This should report to the CEO or Head of People, not buried under HR
Compensation: Expect to pay $100-150K base + equity for a strong first recruiter in a major metro

The Interview Process

How to evaluate recruiting candidates:

1. Work Sample

Give them a real requisition and ask them to:

Write a job description
Outline a sourcing strategy
Draft an outreach message

This reveals how they think about recruiting strategy.

2. Reference Checks Matter More

For recruiters, reference checks are critical. Ask references:

"What was their time-to-fill for hard roles?"
"How did hiring managers feel about working with them?"
"What process did they build?"
"Would you hire them again?"

After You Hire

Set your recruiter up for success:

First 30 days: Focus on understanding roles, meeting hiring managers, and auditing current pipeline
30-60 days: Launch first new processes (job descriptions, interview guides, ATS setup)
60-90 days: First hires should be closing

Measure success by time-to-fill, hiring manager satisfaction, and offer acceptance rate - not just number of hires.

When to Hire Your Second Recruiter

Once you've hired your first recruiter and they're humming, when do you add #2?

The rule of thumb: one recruiter can handle 5-8 hires per month at steady state. When you're consistently above that, it's time for #2.

Your second recruiter can be more specialized - maybe focused on engineering or sales - since your first recruiter has built the foundation.

The Bottom Line

Hire your first recruiter when:

You're consistently hiring 3+ people per month
Specialized roles take 4+ months to fill
Hiring velocity matters more than the cost of a recruiter
Senior leaders are spending 20+ hours weekly on recruiting

When you hit these signals, don't wait. A great first recruiter compounds quickly, accelerating your entire hiring motion and freeing up your leaders to focus on building the business.

When to Hire Your First Recruiter (And What to Look For)