Outsourcing the pre-selection of candidates means that an agency takes care of the initial screening process: assessing applications, vetting candidates and weeding out the less suitable applicants. The final decision remains with you. You set the criteria in advance, you conduct the interviews that really matter, and you choose who to hire. When organised properly, outsourcing primarily saves you time. You don’t lose any control over the process.
What exactly does outsourcing the pre-selection of candidates involve?
Is your vacancy still open and is your inbox filling up with unsuitable applications? If so, you’ll be spending your time reading CVs, ringing people back and sending out rejection letters. Outsourcing the pre-selection process takes that part of the work off your hands.
In its guidance for employers, the UK government explicitly mentions both approaches as options: you must advertise the post and interview candidates, and You can do that yourself or go through a recruitment agency. That source deals with the situation in the UK, but the decision facing Dutch employers is the same: do you do it yourself, or do you leave it (partly) to a specialist?
The difference compared with full outsourcing lies in how the work is divided up. With pre-selection, an agency takes care of the initial stages. You retain control of the stages where you actually make the decisions.
Which stages of the pre-selection process can you outsource?
Broadly speaking, you can outsource everything that happens before your own job interview. You can agree together exactly which steps these are. A common breakdown looks like this:
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- Recruitment using AI and data
- Takes an average of 3–8 weeks to complete
| Step | Can I take over an agency? | Stays with you |
|---|---|---|
| Defining criteria | Contributing ideas and refining them | Identifying what the role entails |
| Rate comments | Assessing CVs and cover letters against the criteria | Random sample or feedback on the selection |
| Initial contact and screening | Contact candidates quickly and ask initial questions | Identifying which questions are decisive |
| Nominate candidates | Submit a well-reasoned selection | Choosing who to invite |
| Job interviews and job offers | Supporting planning and follow-up | Conducting discussions, making a final decision, making an offer |
At FosFor, the pre-selection process continues throughout the entire recruitment process. We provide support from the campaign stage right through to the application and follow-up, and we handle the pre-selection and guidance of candidates. In our data-driven approach You’ll learn how data-driven strategy, targeted campaigns and the initial selection process all tie in with one another.
How do you ensure that the final decision rests with you?
You maintain control by deciding three things for yourself: the criteria, who you invite and who you accept. An agency carries out the work within the parameters you set. It does not make the decisions for you.
Set out the criteria in advance
Effective shortlisting starts with clear requirements. The UK employment advice organisation Acas recommends selecting candidates who best match the job description and profile, and to turn each point from it into a checklist that you can use to rate every job application. That principle works perfectly well when it comes to outsourcing: if you set the criteria, the agency will assess everyone against the same standards.
Would you like to clarify those requirements before you engage an agency? The Questions for an initial interview with the hiring manager will help you get started.
Choose who you want to speak to
The agency puts forward candidates; you decide who to invite. For each candidate put forward, ask why they are a suitable fit. Justifying the choice against your criteria makes the decision verifiable.
Make your final decision based on the same criteria
Consistency remains important even after the meetings. Acas advises that, following all meetings, everyone should be treated equally and to check whether your decision is based on how each candidate scored on each point in the job description and profile. That final decision is, and always will be, yours.
Set aside a fixed time for consultation
Management is also about making adjustments. At FosFor, there are weekly strategic meetings to discuss campaigns, results and next steps. This allows you to see what’s coming in, why candidates do or do not proceed, and where the criteria might be too strict or too broad. You can read about how to organise such a meeting in this agenda for a weekly recruitment meeting.
Would you like to receive more CVs, or only interview suitable candidates?
A lot of responses may feel like a success, but they say little about quality. Twenty unsuitable applications will cost you more time than three good ones. The aim of pre-selection is therefore not to gather as many CVs as possible, but to ensure that only interviews that are worthwhile take place.
The difference in practice:
- More CVs: You read everything, ring everyone back and have conversations that turn out to be a waste of time after just five minutes.
- Suitable candidates only: You speak to people who have already been assessed against your criteria and spend your time choosing between good options.
At FosFor, clients typically interview only the 2 to 4 best candidates per month on average. That figure varies depending on the role and target group, but it illustrates where the focus lies: quality and sustainable recruitment, not volume. Would you like to assess for yourself how effective your current recruitment process is? Then read how to measure the quality of your pool of applicants.
When does it make the most sense to outsource pre-selection?
Outsourcing is most worthwhile when time is the limiting factor, or if your vacancy has been open for a long time. If you recognise one or more of these situations, it is worth considering:
- You do receive applications, but few candidates meet the basic requirements.
- You or your managers don’t have time to respond quickly, which means good candidates might lose interest.
- You recruit for hard-to-fill roles, such as technical, logistics or maritime positions, or for sales roles.
- You don’t have your own recruiter, or they have too many vacancies to handle at once.
- You don’t just want to fill this vacancy; you want to build up a steady stream of candidates.
Do you actually have few responses and plenty of time? In that case, you can easily carry out the shortlisting yourself. The pre-screening checklist and the explanation of setting up a short pre-screen without losing talent will help you get started.
What do you agree with an agency?
Clear agreements made in advance will prevent you from feeling as though you’ve lost control later on. Make sure you put at least these points in writing:
- Criteria: Which requirements are non-negotiable and which are simply preferences?
- Breakdown: What steps is the agency taking, and what steps are you taking?
- Presentation: What does a justification for each candidate look like?
- Speed: How quickly do you respond to a nominated candidate?
- Feedback: How and when do you review results and make adjustments?
That fourth point is easy to overlook. A recruitment agency can follow up with candidates quickly, but if you wait too long to send an invitation, a good candidate may still decide to withdraw.
Are you unsure whether outsourcing is right for your vacancy, or which steps you’d prefer to handle yourself? Get in touch to discuss your hard-to-fill vacancy. We’ll then work together to identify where you’re currently losing time and what structure would suit your organisation best.