A Guide to Embedded vs Internal Recruitment Hiring Solutions

 

For those that are familiar with an internal recruitment function, but are new to the embedded model, it may seem that there is an overlap between the two. And there is. However, there are differences in terms of scope, the consultant-client relationship, and urgency. Which makes working with an embedded recruitment solution distinct.

To understand the difference between the two models first we need to ask the question: what is embedded recruitment? 

Embedded recruitment is a new model for recruiting. Developed to meet the demands of high-volume recruitment that digitisation has created. Embedded recruitment allows companies to recruit at scale without paying any commission. Instead, companies pay a flat fee to gain exclusive access to an expert recruiter or recruitment team.

 

Think of it as the Netflix of the recruitment industry. 

 

It’s often a good model for those looking to hire quickly with roles at different levels and high volume.

The model differs from previous models of recruitment, both internal and agency styles. For the sake of clarity, an internal recruitment model is when a company directly hires an individual or team to handle their recruitment and processes. 

So let’s break this down…

 

Responsibilities

Internal

They need to be tenacious and fill roles by any means necessary. This includes using recruitment agencies. 

As a solo recruiter, the breadth of hiring across the company can mean they’re a “Jack of all Trades” when it comes to disciplines. Even if a recruiter is part of a larger team, the business may need the recruiter to step out of a specialism. For instance, they may specialise in sales recruitment but have to recruit for a technical position. 

The role of the internal recruiter often also includes candidate experience, development and growth within the company for new employees, onboarding, and aftercare. 

There are often lots of things to juggle in internal recruitment, with the recruiter having to don many different hats. 

 

Embedded

Embedded recruiting, like internal hiring, also meets the needs of a single company. Again, much like the internal model, this is done as a team or solo. The responsibilities of an embedded recruiter, however, differ from the internal. 

There is more focus on the recruiter’s specialisms and skillset. Often the embedded recruiter is experienced in either tech or go-to-market hiring. They’ll have a specialism in that discipline. At least that’s what it’s like at Troi anyway, not everyone in embedded recruitment does this. 

An embedded team or individual will also have an arsenal of support they can draw from at their company. At Troi, we’ll often help each other in overcoming objections, and networking quality candidates. We also have a system set up for knowledge sharing, including processes, methodologies, and technology.  

The embedded model also enables our talent acquisition managers to develop a varied and deeper understanding of recruitment. The talent acquisition managers stay with a client long enough to build a strong understanding of culture, pain points and solutions. This enables them to take learnings from previous clients on to the next. 

For Troi, the more clients we work with, the more in-tune our collective approach becomes.

 

Qualities and Skills

Internal

An internal recruiter will follow and improve procedures and be a strong team player. They will “be there” for the company. In other words, there is less chance of working outside the norm. An internal recruiter can be more in-tune with the politics of an organisation meaning forcing change is less easy.

As an internal recruiter, they also have an overview of the full end-to-end recruitment life cycle. Including ensuring the candidates are being retained. When working in-house, there is not always a sense of urgency. There is often an onboarding process that allows them to build relationships and understand best practices. 

An internal recruiter will be given in-house training on internal systems and other tools. Often being “eased” into their workload. This is not the case with an embedded recruitment system. 

 

Embedded

There is much more of a “need for speed” with embedded recruitment. Often when joining a client the recruiter has a 3-month initial contract in which they can prove themselves. The embedded recruiter needs to hit the ground running. This is because an embedded recruiter often brings it when all else has failed. There is a problem that needs to be fixed quickly. 

(We’d encourage anyone who is undertaking a large recruitment project to give embedded a go before they’ve cycled through their usual options, it could save you even more time!)

To assist our embedded recruiters we provide resources for our recruiters. This includes software by Troi and various sourcing log-ins as well as training and support on tools and software such as ATS, advertising capability and helpful, non-recruitment-specific organisation tools.

An embedded recruiter is also supported by their parent company. At Troi, there are various support stages including their team, Customer Success, and a Talent Lead as well as their line manager. 

 

Client relationship

Internal

An in-house recruiter will often report directly to a recruitment function. They’ll have regular updates and activity check-ins with a Talent Director/Manager or an HR/People Lead. Despite having the freedom of fighting for a candidate or recommending that specific hires are made, this ultimately is a choice made by the heads of division or hiring managers who have been involved in the process.

 

Embedded

Although there are similarities to working as an in-house recruiter, the embedded model works more as a consultancy service. A bit like management consultancy but for recruitment. There is a higher level of trust, so there is a bigger influence on certain decisions. This is part of the overall service offered as ‘specialists’ in the field. There is an onus or expectation on embedded recruiters to offer an opinion and provide a solution. Ultimately, they’re there to fix things and show where things have gone wrong before.

Troi’s Talent Acquisition Managers have been doing this for many years. They have experience understanding what works and what doesn’t. Having the “outside view, looking in” can often have a great effect when sharing visions for the future with key stakeholders and decision-makers.

 

Branding

Internal 

When internal, a recruiter handles marketing their company’s employer brand to attract candidates. They are an ‘ambassador’ for the company and have access to internal systems, and a company email address. They will likely get access to other branding-related tools such as Glassdoor or LinkedIn Company Page. 

 

Embedded

Despite working in an embedded model, the responsibility of representing the client is the same as an internal employee. So this isn’t a difference, but something to make you aware of! There is an expectation that they become part of this company for the duration of your contract. In other words, to a candidate, it should appear as if the embedded recruiter is working directly for the client. 

 

There may be a different involvement with strategic branding strategy from internal. For Troi Talent Acquisition Managers, this differs from client to client depending on their needs. 

 

To sum up…

Whilst there are many similarities between in-house and embedded recruitment, this doesn’t mean that they are the same.

As simple as it sounds, the key difference is that working in-house you’re an employee, and with an embedded model the recruiter is a consultant.

A key benefit of the embedded model is that the recruiter has additional support outside of the client. Enabling them to learn and develop more than the internal recruiter. To borrow an old football analogy, Troi’s embedded recruiters are greater than the sum of their parts. 

The embedded model finds a superb mid-way between agency and in-house, taking the benefits from both and merging them into one.

TLDR;

Internal

Pros

• Knows the culture and people well
• Experienced in internal processes
• Always there when needed

Cons

• Not specialists
• Slow to adapt
• Costs can spiral/limits forecasting ability (if agencies are used)
• Not flexible

Embedded

Pros

• Specialists/experts
• Fixed cost
• Has vast experience in different processes and methodologies
• Can be turned on and off

Cons

• Settle in time
• Needs buy-in from hiring managers

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Troi offer a scalable embedded recruitment service providing in-house talent acquisition teams to help you hire at scale and retain. All on a flexible monthly basis.