Many employers are still relying on a familiar approach to hiring: post the vacancy, wait for applications, shortlist, interview, hire. It’s simple, but in today’s market it’s increasingly ineffective.
A recent HRReview piece highlighted a growing issue: organisations that depend heavily on job boards are competing for a shrinking pool of “active” jobseekers, while missing the far larger market of people who aren’t applying to rolesbut may be open to the right opportunity.
At MPJ Recruitment, we see this every day across insurance, legal and claims: businesses are receiving more applications than ever, yet they’re still struggling to find the right person. Here’s why that’s happening, and why partnering with a recruitment agency is often the smartest way to hire.
The problem with “post and pray” hiring
1) You only reach a small slice of the market
The article points out that employers focusing solely on job boards are fighting over around 27% of available talent – the people actively applying.
That means the majority of the workforce sits outside your reach: passive candidates who are currently employed, not job hunting, and won’t respond to a generic advert. Often, these are the people you actually want – experienced, stable performers who need a compelling reason to move.
A recruitment agency opens that hidden market through proactive search, headhunting, targeted outreach, and a network built over time.
2) Application volume has gone up — but quality hasn’t
The story also highlights how AI has fuelled a “click-apply” culture: candidates can apply to dozens of roles in minutes. Employers end up inundated with CVs – but not necessarily relevant ones.
So the challenge becomes:
- more time spent screening,
- more interviews with “nearly right” people,
- longer time-to-hire,
- and higher risk of a poor hire.
A good agency doesn’t just increase volume, it reduces noise. At MPJ, our goal is to send you fewer CVs, but better CVs: relevant profiles that match the role, the team, and your expectations.
3) If you’re getting unsuitable applicants, it’s a targeting problem
One of the strongest points from the piece is this: when you’re paying for unsuitable applications, you likely don’t have a screening issue — you have a targeting issue.
That’s where recruitment agencies add immediate value. We help you:
- define what “good” looks like (beyond the job description),
- position the role properly in the market,
- target the right candidates rather than the most candidates,
- and advise on salary, competition, and availability.
In short: you stop spending time (and money) attracting the wrong people.
Why a recruitment agency improves hiring outcomes
1) Access to passive candidates (the “invisible market”)
Passive talent doesn’t browse job boards every day, but they will respond to:
- a well-matched opportunity,
- a message that speaks to their motivations,
- and a trusted recruiter who understands their market.
Recruitment agencies specialise in those conversations. We’re not waiting for candidates to come to us, we’re actively searching, approaching, and engaging them.
2) Faster hiring without cutting corners
When employers try to handle everything internally, it often creates bottlenecks: advertising, sorting applications, chasing responses, scheduling interviews, negotiating offers.
An agency streamlines this end-to-end, meaning:
- shorter time-to-shortlist,
- quicker interview turnaround,
- less admin for your team,
- and fewer “nearly there” candidates.
The result is speed with control — not rushed decisions.
3) Better candidate experience (which protects your brand)
The article mentions how candidate behaviour has changed, including the increase in mobile-first applications. More broadly, candidates now expect:
- fast communication,
- clarity on process,
- honest feedback,
- and a smooth journey.
A recruitment partner acts as the “glue” in the process, keeping candidates engaged, managing expectations, and reducing dropouts — especially in competitive markets where good people have multiple options.
4) Stronger ROI: attract the right people, not just more people
The key message from the HRReview story is that the best organisations are moving away from vanity metrics (like application numbers) and focusing on quality and relevance.
That’s exactly where agencies deliver ROI:
- reduced time-to-hire (and therefore reduced vacancy cost),
- fewer wasted interview hours,
- improved retention through better matching,
- and better outcomes because you’re hiring from a wider talent pool.
When should you involve a recruitment agency?
Businesses typically get the most value from an agency partnership when:
- the role is business-critical or hard to fill,
- you’re seeing high volume but low quality applicants,
- you need access to passive candidates,
- you’ve had dropouts at offer stage,
- or you simply don’t have the internal time to run a full search.
How MPJ Recruitment helps employers move beyond “post and pray”
At MPJ Recruitment, we support hiring across the UK in insurance, legal and engineering. Our approach is built around targeted recruitment: understanding the role properly, mapping the market, and connecting you with candidates who fit — not just on paper, but in practice.
If you’re hiring and want better results than “post and pray”, we’re happy to talk.
Speak to MPJ Recruitment to discuss your vacancy, the current candidate market, and what a targeted search could look like.
