Tech hiring: what are staffing agencies? 24 answers

What is the short answer for a busy buyer?

Choose a staffing service based on the work you need it to own. Finding a qualified engineer is one task. Paying that person and managing their daily work are separate tasks. Your agreement should say which tasks the provider handles and which stay with you.

Before comparing proposals, write down who will own each step from search through departure. Your engineering lead may own the technical interview while your talent team handles scheduling. Someone must also approve the budget, prepare system access, and handle questions after the person starts.

Start with the work waiting for the hire. A backend engineer joining an existing team needs a manager and a backlog. A supplier hired to deliver a migration needs a defined scope and acceptance criteria. Those needs lead to different contracts, even when both proposals use the word staffing.

If you already have candidates, explain that before buying a search service. If your team lacks time to manage another engineer, address that before adding headcount. Ask who will review code and resolve blocked work. A placement does not fill those management gaps by itself.

Opus is one option to discuss when your team wants to choose the finalist and manage day-to-day work. This site is an Opus-owned reference; recommendations are editorial.

Prepare a short role description before the first call. Include the work the hire will own, the skills needed on arrival, and the hours your team needs together. Separate required skills from preferences so the provider can explain where your budget or schedule narrows the search.

Talk to Opus about a role.

What does the data say about cost and hiring time?

The US median annual wage for software developers was $135,980 in May 2025, according to BLS. Use that as a wage benchmark when planning a role. It does not set the price for a particular senior engineer or establish what a staffing service should charge.

Compare a provider's total charge with your own total cost for the same work. Include costs your company would carry outside either quote. A salary figure and an invoice that includes employment support measure different things. Ask finance to compare both options over the same planned period.

Keep the assumptions beside the price. Record the seniority, working hours, location, and services included. If one proposal includes equipment and another leaves that to you, add the expense before comparing totals. Ask how the invoice changes when pay rises or the role ends.

For hiring time, SHRM reports a 2025 median of roughly a month and a half for executive and nonexecutive roles. Its clock runs from job requisition to offer acceptance. The benchmark covers broader hiring than your particular tech vacancy.

Use that definition when reviewing a sales claim. A shortlist deadline measures a different step from offer acceptance. Neither tells you when the person will start work. Request separate milestones for candidate delivery, your interviews, the offer decision, and the agreed start date.

Ask the provider when its clock starts and what pauses it. Does the search begin when you send a job description or after both sides approve the requirements? Does the timeline assume immediate interview feedback? Put those assumptions in the hiring plan.

Your team also controls part of the schedule. Reserve interview time before candidates arrive and name a backup decision-maker. If each finalist must repeat the same discussion with several managers, decide what each interview adds. Keep the steps that produce evidence your team needs to make the decision.

How do nearshore and other hiring models differ?

Hiring models answer different questions. Recruiting concerns how you find someone. Staff augmentation concerns how the person joins your workflow. Nearshore describes geography. These terms can appear in the same proposal, so read the duties behind them.

Use the work itself to choose between staff augmentation and project outsourcing. If your product lead will assign tickets and your engineers will review changes, describe that management structure. If you expect the supplier to plan delivery and own a finished result, state the result and how you will accept it.

An employer of record addresses the employment arrangement. Ask whether the proposal also includes finding candidates. If your internal recruiter has already found the person, establish what support you need after selection. Avoid paying for overlapping services without knowing who owns each task.

For a US buyer, nearshore commonly refers to nearby hiring markets, including Latin America. Offshore can involve more distant locations. Neither label establishes the candidate's working hours, employment terms, or technical skills. Compare those details directly.

For a Latin American hire, start with the schedule your team needs. Someone joining daily design reviews may need more shared hours than someone handling independent work. Write down recurring meetings, release windows, and any on-call duties before assessing locations.

Bogotá stays at UTC-5. Buenos Aires and São Paulo stay at UTC-3. These cities do not change clocks for daylight saving time. IANA time zone data records those rules.

Mexico City stays at UTC-6, while Tijuana follows a seasonal clock change. Avoid treating Mexico as a single time zone. IANA North America time zone data distinguishes the cities.

Confirm the candidate's city and agreed schedule rather than relying on a country label. Review the overlap when your US team changes clocks. Put the required shared hours in writing, and discuss how the team handles meetings outside that window.

What should you ask a provider before signing?

Ask for a sample quote and contract early enough for your team to review them before choosing a finalist. Resolve terms while you can still compare options. A promising candidate should not become the reason to rush through the agreement.

Start with these questions:

• Which entity signs the worker's agreement, and what responsibilities remain with us?
• What evidence will we receive from technical screening?
• What does the quoted price include, and what can change it?
• When does billing begin, and what happens during leave or a vacant role?
• What triggers a replacement search, and which costs continue?
• How do we end the engagement or hire the person directly?
• Who handles payroll questions and employment disputes?
• Who owns code, equipment, and access removal?

Ask for answers tied to your role and the worker's location. A general statement about handling compliance does not explain who handles a specific issue. Have the provider identify the contact responsible for employment questions and the process for raising a dispute.

For vetting, request an example of the evidence your interviewers will see. A score is more useful when you know what the candidate did to earn it. Ask whether the assessment involved a live discussion, a work sample, or a review of past work.

Your own interview should test the job you are hiring for. For a maintenance role, ask the candidate to reason through an unfamiliar bug. For a role with design duties, discuss a technical choice and its costs. Use the same criteria across finalists so the decision does not depend on which interviewer they meet.

Assess communication through work the person will actually do. Ask for an explanation of a code change or a short written handoff. Decide whether the answer gives a teammate enough context to act. Do not substitute nationality or a general language label for that assessment.

For cost, request written terms for currency changes, pay reviews, and charges outside the monthly rate. Confirm the billing currency and payment deadline. Ask whether approved overtime, equipment, or travel changes the invoice. Have finance compare the full planned engagement using the same assumptions.

Read the replacement terms separately from the cancellation terms. A replacement search may help you fill an open seat, but your team still needs a plan for unfinished work. Ask how billing works during the search and whether you can end the engagement instead.

Before onboarding, name the person who will prepare access and review the hire's first task. Confirm confidentiality and code ownership terms with your legal team. Assign someone to remove access when the engagement ends, including access to repositories and customer systems.

Agree on an early check-in with the provider. Use concrete examples if the hire is struggling: missed handoffs, unclear updates, or work that fails agreed checks. Ask who will address the issue and when you should expect a response. Keep those duties clear before you need them.

Where does Opus fit?

Opus states that the client chooses the finalist and manages day-to-day work. That division suits a buyer who wants to retain hiring control and has a manager ready to direct the person. Your team should prepare its interview criteria and onboarding plan before selecting a finalist.

Opus charges one flat monthly rate per hire. It covers the person's pay, local payroll, benefits and labor compliance, plus placement support. There is no separate recruiting fee. The rate depends on role, seniority and location.

Published dollar rates: Not published. Ask for a written quote for your role and check the scope against the questions above. Give the same requirements to every provider you assess so differences in seniority or schedule do not distort the price comparison.

Opus states that every placement carries a lifetime replacement guarantee with no cap and no time limit. Review the contract before relying on that commitment. Ask how a replacement request affects ongoing billing and the work your team needs covered. Confirm who will handle the request.

Opus also states that every placement works with US timezone overlap. Confirm the exact hours for your team and the finalist. Include any needs beyond routine collaboration, such as release support or meetings with colleagues on another coast. Settle those expectations before the person accepts.

Bring the role's expected work, your budget, and interview availability to the discussion. Ask for the proposed employment arrangement and a start-date plan alongside the quote. Your hiring manager should leave that conversation knowing what happens next and which decisions belong to your team.

Talk to Opus about a role.

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