Yes — we may be a little biased, but after nearly three decades as a recruitment agency in the Netherlands, we’ve seen firsthand when partnering with an external recruiter brings real results, and when building an in-house hiring strategy makes more sense.
In this article, we draw on our daily experience supporting international companies to help you decide which approach fits your business best. Whether you’re quickly expanding your team or hiring your first team in the Netherlands, this guide will help you weigh the pros and cons of using a recruitment agency versus internal hiring.
Building an in-house recruitment team
Having an in-house recruiter or talent acquisition team gives companies greater control over the entire hiring process. You can tailor employer branding, oversee every candidate interaction, and ensure alignment with company culture and long-term business goals. Additionally, they can manage internal mobility and track performance data to improve hiring efficiency over time.
In-house hiring works best when:
-
You have steady, predictable recruitment needs.
- You have the budget and time to train and retain skilled recruiters.
-
You’re focused on roles within one sector or location.
- You aim to build a talent strategy that aligns closely with your culture and growth plans.
However, there are also limitations. Setting up an internal recruitment team requires investment in ATS systems, job boards, advertising, and sourcing tools. Furthermore, the time used to go through hundreds of applications per position is not to be underestimated. Onboarding experienced recruiters can take months, and results may vary depending on their market knowledge and networks.
Using a recruitment agency
Partnering with a recruitment agency gives companies speed, flexibility, and access to established talent networks that would take years to build internally. Agencies are particularly useful when hiring needs vary, roles are difficult to fill, or internal teams are small and need extra support managing candidate pipelines.
A specialist recruitment agency maintains constant contact with professionals across a range of sectors. This reach allows employers to quickly access high-quality talent that has already been screened for both skills and cultural fit.
Recruitment agencies are particularly valuable when:
-
You need to hire quickly or fill multiple roles at once.
- You’re new to the Dutch market and lack local hiring infrastructure.
-
You need temporary or project-based employees.
-
You want to reduce the risk and cost of bad hires through screening and guarantees.
A specialist agency already has the systems, sourcing tools, and candidate networks in place. Instead of maintaining a full-time internal team, you can scale hiring support up or down depending on your business cycle.
We helped US-based Backroads build their first team in the Netherlands — filling key roles across departments and supporting their ongoing growth.
Hybrid models are becoming the norm
Many companies in the Netherlands now combine both approaches. They keep a small internal talent team for core roles but partner with agencies for specialist or urgent hires.
This hybrid model offers the best of both worlds:
-
Internal recruiters manage brand consistency and culture fit.
-
External partners provide reach, speed, and niche expertise.
If you’re scaling fast and consistently, an internal team may make sense — ideally supported by an agency for peak demand or niche roles. Choosing between in-house recruitment and an external agency isn’t about one being “better” than the other, it’s about aligning with your hiring goals, resources, and stage of growth.
At Adams Multilingual Recruitment, we help international companies strike that balance. Whether you’re building your first Dutch team or expanding an established operation, our consultants provide the market knowledge, candidate access, and cultural insight to make every hire count. Additionally, our no-cure, no-pay model ensures a risk-free solution for your business — you only pay once the right hire is made.
If you’d like to explore how a hybrid or agency-based model could fit your hiring strategy, get in touch with our team — we’d be happy to share what’s working for companies like yours.
