LinkedIn vs recruitment agencies: Which should you use to hire?

With almost 1 billion users worldwide, LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for professional networking and job hunting.  Many companies now rely heavily on LinkedIn to recruit talent. But here’s the question every hiring manager eventually faces:

Is LinkedIn enough—or should you partner with a recruitment agency?

In this article, we’ll explore the benefits and limitations of using LinkedIn for recruitment, compare it to working with a recruitment agency. We’ll also explain when it makes sense to use both.

Whether you’re a hiring manager or business owner, this guide will help you choose the right strategy.

What LinkedIn does well for recruitment

LinkedIn is a valuable tool for talent sourcing and employer branding. It gives you access to a vast network of over 900 million professionals worldwide, making it easier than ever to find candidates across industries and experience levels. It’s undeniable that LinkedIn can help immensely for the recruitment department of businesses of different sizes. And you also avoid some challenges that may surface with recruitment companies.

Here are some of the key strengths LinkedIn offers for recruitment:

• Wide talent pool: With close to a billion active users, LinkedIn helps you reach both active job seekers and professionals open to new opportunities. Every week, 61 million LinkedIn users search for new jobs.
  
  
• Direct outreach: LinkedIn's InMail feature and connection requests allow you to message candidates directly, build relationships, and engage passive talent who might not be applying through traditional job boards.
  
  
• Employer branding: Your company pages, employee testimonials, and content sharing can be used to showcase your workplace culture and attract attention.
  
  
• Advanced search filters: Tool's like LinkedIn recruiter allow you to narrow down candidates by skills, location, industry, and experience level.
  
  
• Networking opportunities: Candidate referrals, groups, and events make it easier to expand your reach

When LinkedIn works best:

• You’re hiring for common or high-volume roles
• You have time and internal capacity to manage outreach
• You want to boost your brand visibility in the market

What LinkedIn can't do (well) 

Linkedin is useful as part of a hiring strategy, but recruitment agencies have specialised recruiters who understand the job market and can provide you with a better overview of current opportunities, including roles that aren't publicly advertised, as well as upcoming positions. They can also share your profile with clients before a position is officially posted, significantly increasing your chances of securing a job. 

Manuela Araujo - Delivery Centre Manager at Airswift

While LinkedIn offers many advantages, it’s not a complete solution for every hiring challenge. Relying solely on LinkedIn can leave significant gaps, especially when you’re recruiting for specialised roles or urgent positions. Here are some common limitations to consider:

• Passive talent isn't always active: Top candidates may not respond—or even log in—regularly.
  
  
• No candidate screening or vetting: LinkedIn doesn’t pre-qualify candidates, leaving you responsible for reviewing resumes, conducting initial interviews, and verifying skills.
  
  
• Time-consuming process: Sourcing, messaging, and following up with candidates can drain internal resources, especially for busy hiring teams.
  
  
• Lack of market insights: LinkedIn can’t provide up-to-date salary benchmarks, competitor hiring trends, or advice on negotiation strategies.
  
  
• Risk of a bad hire: Without thorough background checks or reference validation, hiring decisions based solely on LinkedIn profiles carry more risk.
  
  
• Limited support for complex hires: Roles requiring specialised skills, cross-border hiring, or diversity and inclusion efforts often need more tailored approaches.

Ultimately, LinkedIn is a tool, but not a full-service recruitment solution. Understanding these gaps is crucial to avoiding costly hiring delays and poor fit hires.

The rising cost of LinkedIn recruiter in 2025

LinkedIn Recruiter is a powerful platform—but it comes at a high price. In 2025, the cost of a LinkedIn Recruiter licence can run into the thousands per seat, per year.

For small or mid-sized businesses, this can be a significant investment—especially if the platform isn’t consistently delivering quality candidates or hires.

While larger companies may absorb the cost as part of a broader hiring tech stack, many hiring managers are starting to question the return on investment. If your team isn’t using the platform to its full potential—or you’re only filling a handful of roles—it may not be the most cost-effective solution.

Recruitment agencies, by contrast, only charge when a hire is made. This pay-for-performance model can offer better value, especially for hard-to-fill roles or when internal capacity is limited.

Before renewing a Recruiter licence, it’s worth considering whether agency support might offer a faster, lower-risk route to hiring success.

Four times a recruitment agency adds real value

We know working with an agency can cost more. A recruitment agency brings specialised expertise and resources that LinkedIn alone can’t provide, especially when you're dealing with complex, urgent, or niche hiring needs. 

Here are four scenarios where using an agency makes sense:

• You're hiring for hard-to-fill roles: Specialist agencies know where niche talent lives—and how to reach them. They have access to passive candidates, referrals, and databases not found on LinkedIn.
• You need to hire quickly: Urgent roles demand fast action. Agencies move quickly thanks to ready-made talent pools and streamlined screening processes.
• You're hiring internationally: Hiring across borders adds legal and logistical complexity. Agencies can manage visas, local compliance, and cultural fit.
• Your internal team is stretched: Partnering with an agency can relieve the pressure on your HR team, giving them the bandwidth to focus on other priorities. Agencies also provide market insights, salary benchmarks, and negotiation support, ensuring that your offer is competitive in the talent market.

Recruitment agencies understand the job market and current industry trends, and can connect you with hidden opportunities through their extensive client relationships and professional network. They also prioritise confidentiality, helping you conduct your job search discreetly and offering negotiation support when needed.

Can I use both? The hybrid approach

This isn’t an either/or situation. In fact, many companies get the best results by combining LinkedIn and recruitment agencies.

Here’s how a hybrid hiring strategy works:

• Use LinkedIn for brand building, general outreach, and volume hiring
• Use agencies for complex roles, strategic hires, or international placements

What's right for your next hire?

LinkedIn is a powerful platform. But for certain hires, it’s just one piece of the puzzle.

If you’re hiring for a specialist role, facing time pressure, or expanding into a new market, a recruitment agency can help you find the right person faster—while reducing risk and saving internal time.

If you’re unsure which route is best for your business, get in touch with Airswift to learn how our tailored recruitment solutions can complement your efforts and help you find top talent quickly and efficiently.