Recruter en période de tension : comment attirer les bons profils sans exploser son budget ?

At first glance, managing internal recruitment seems free. But in reality, it mobilizes a huge amount of invisible resources: hours spent by HR sorting through resumes, time wasted by managers conducting interviews, and job postings that are sometimes ineffective. And when recruitment fails? The bill quickly adds up: according to APEC, a casting error can cost up to 30 000 € , by including salary, lost time, and lost earnings.
A savvy manager knows that before cutting costs, you must first measure the true cost recruitment. Without this clarity, optimization is impossible.

Good recruitment is prepared like a marketing plan: with a defined envelope and priorities. This involves distributing the budget between three main items:
- the distribution of advertisements and job boards,
- digital tools (ATS, CV databases, testing software),
- and partial or complete outsourcing via a firm.
With a clear vision of his budget, the manager avoids decisions made in a hurry and can compare the return on investment of each channel.

Once the budget is framed, the number one issue becomes efficiency. Because beyond the financial cost, the real danger of recruitment is often wasted time: an unfilled position can slow down an entire team, delay a project, or even block the growth of an SME.

Managers who recruit well in times of tension are those who understand that recruitment cannot rely on improvisation. It must be managed like a project. This requires suitable tools.

An ATS (Applicant Tracking System) makes it possible to centralize all applications, automate responses to candidates and monitor each step with precise indicators. Add to this skill grids to objectively compare profiles, and simple KPIs (cost per recruitment, average time, success rate after 12 months), and you transform recruitment into a measurable and controllable process.

A leader who knows how to measure is a leader who knows how to decide.

Many companies are still hesitant to entrust their recruitment to a firm, for fear of “paying too much”. However, in times of tension, it is often the most rational choice.

Outsourcing allows you to access a pool of qualified candidates that you would not have found alone, to reduce recruitment times (up to 40% faster than internally), and above all to avoid costly errors. At Alphéa Conseil, we see every day managers who go from 3 months of unsuccessful search to a finalized recruitment in a few weeks, simply because they chose to delegate part of the process.

In reality, outsourcing is not an additional expense: it is often the best way to pay once instead of losing several times.

Recruiting in 2025 is a challenge, but it is not insurmountable. Successful managers are not those who spend the most, but those who know how to manage their budget, optimize their methods and surround themselves with reliable partners. Right recruiting is not just about finding someone. It's finding the right person, at the right time, at the right price. This is exactly the mission we have at Alphéa Conseil: to support each manager in building an effective, sustainable recruitment strategy adapted to their territory.