31 May 2025
The Hidden Costs of Traditional Recruitment: Who Really Pays the Price?
Recruitment should be simple. A company needs talent. A person wants a role where they can thrive. But traditional recruitment has made this process complex, expensive and impersonal. It is a system that often prioritises profit over people, speed over fit, and commissions over care.
At Kaplunk, we think it is time to call it out.
The real cost of recruitment extends beyond fees. It is in wasted time, broken trust and the sense of disconnection that jobseekers and employers both feel. Whether you are hiring or applying, traditional recruitment often leaves you feeling like just another transaction.
We do things differently.
The Financial Burden on Employers
Recruitment agencies in the UK commonly charge between fifteen and thirty percent of a new hire’s salary. If you are hiring for a mid-level role, you could be paying several thousand pounds in fees before your new employee has even walked through the door.
That money is not going into better hiring outcomes. It is going into overheads, commissions and keeping the agency wheels turning. Many of these agencies are juggling dozens of clients at once, presenting the same small pool of candidates and pushing for quick placements rather than the right ones.
When a hire does not work out, the employer is left to pick up the pieces. You lose time. You lose momentum. You often have to start again, possibly with another round of fees.
Kaplunk exists to break that cycle. Our platform gives in-house HR teams everything they need to manage recruitment directly. No inflated commissions. No external pressure. Just a clean, purpose-built system that connects employers with candidates who actually want to work for them.
The savings are real. But even more important is what those savings represent — independence, clarity and the ability to invest back into people, not pipelines.
The Emotional Cost to Candidates
Traditional recruitment can feel brutal from the jobseeker’s side. You are told to polish your CV, be available, stay patient. But the reality is you are often filtered by keywords, ghosted after interviews and passed between recruiters who barely know your name.
Agency recruiters are not always incentivised to find you the right role. They are rewarded for placements, not long-term fit. That means many candidates are pitched into jobs that look good on paper but fail to deliver in real life.
This approach is not just inefficient. It is demoralising. It erodes confidence. It wastes potential. We think people deserve better than that.
Kaplunk puts the candidate back at the centre of the process. We do not treat you like inventory. We treat you like a human being with skills, goals and a voice. Our platform allows you to connect directly with companies that share your values and actually want to hear from you.
We believe in transparency, not gatekeeping. You should know who you are applying to. You should be able to communicate clearly and directly. And you should never feel like your worth is tied to a commission.
There is a growing awareness in the UK job market that ethics matter. Companies want to build cultures of trust. Candidates want to work for organisations that reflect their values. Yet traditional recruitment often operates in a way that undermines both.
Agencies frequently use exclusionary practices, ignore diversity in favour of speed and push roles with little regard for long-term compatibility. In some cases, this creates unsafe environments for candidates and leaves employers vulnerable to reputational damage.
At Kaplunk, we are proudly and unshakeably ethical. Our technology is custom-built and proprietary. It is designed for integrity, not exploitation. We do not resell data. We do not compromise on security. Every part of the platform is built to protect our users and foster mutual respect.
Our professional relationships are founded on trust. We take safeguarding seriously. And we hold ourselves accountable to the people who use our service.
This is not just a point of pride. It is our promise.
Kaplunk is not a recruitment agency. We are an ethical employment agency that connects great companies with great people. We exist to simplify hiring, not profit from its complexity.
We believe in a job market that works for everyone. One where companies save money and hire better. One where candidates are seen, heard and valued. One where ethics are baked into the process, not bolted on as an afterthought.
It is time to leave the outdated systems behind. The hidden costs of traditional recruitment are too high, and the returns are too low.
Join the Movement
If you are an employer tired of spending thousands on ineffective recruitment. If you are a jobseeker who wants more than just another placement. If you believe there is a better way to build meaningful careers and teams.
Kaplunk is ready when you are. Sign up today and experience recruitment that works — for everyone.
