Recruitment strategy significantly impacts an organisation’s success in attracting and retaining talent. Understanding the distinctions between volume hiring and one-by-one hiring helps businesses make informed decisions about their recruitment approach.

Volume Hiring: Speed and Scale

Volume hiring involves recruiting numerous candidates within a compressed timeframe, typically used during rapid growth phases, seasonal peaks, or major project launches. Industries like retail, customer service, and manufacturing frequently employ this approach.

This method offers distinct advantages in efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Streamlined processes, including automated screenings and group interviews, reduce time-to-hire whilst leveraging economies of scale. Organisations can quickly fill multiple positions, maintaining operational continuity.

However, volume hiring presents challenges. Quality control becomes more complex when screening numerous applications simultaneously. The standardised approach may compromise candidate experience, potentially affecting employer branding. Successfully executing volume hiring requires robust systems, technology infrastructure, and experienced recruiters.

One-by-One Hiring: Precision and Fit

One-by-one hiring focuses on individual position fills, particularly for specialised roles or senior positions. This method emphasises finding candidates who precisely match both role requirements and organisational culture.

The approach enables thorough candidate evaluation and personalised communication, often resulting in higher retention rates and employee satisfaction. Recruiters can dedicate more attention to each candidate, ensuring better role alignment and cultural fit.

Yet, this method has limitations. The process typically requires more time and resources per hire, increasing recruitment costs. It’s less adaptable to situations requiring rapid scaling or multiple simultaneous hires.

Making the Strategic Choice

Whilst volume hiring offers scalability and efficiency, it requires careful management to maintain quality standards and positive candidate relationships. One-by-one hiring provides thoroughness but may not meet urgent staffing needs effectively.

Organisations should choose based on their specific circumstances. Volume hiring suits high-demand, entry-level positions, whilst one-by-one hiring better serves specialised roles and leadership positions where cultural fit and specific expertise are crucial.


Looking to optimise your recruitment strategy? Whether you’re considering volume hiring or individual recruitment, we can help you develop an approach that aligns with your organisational goals.