Why 40% of Technical Roles Fail Within 18 Months

Technical hiring is expensive. When nearly half of these appointments fail within 18 months, the financial and operational impact is substantial. 

Understanding why technical roles fail at such alarming rates is the first step toward solving the problem. More importantly, recognising how your recruitment process contributes to these failures can transform your approach to talent acquisition. 

Common Culprits For Why Technical Roles Fail 

Poor Cultural Fit happens when the technical assessment overshadows the cultural evaluation. A brilliant engineer who doesn't align with your values or team dynamics will struggle regardless of their capabilities. 

Inadequate Screening results from rushed hiring processes. Without consistent frameworks, organisations struggle to properly evaluate candidates, especially in complex STEM fields where technical demands are multifaceted. 

Misaligned Expectations occur when job descriptions don't reflect reality or when the recruitment process oversells positions. Many organisations lack the expertise to craft accurate, compelling role descriptions. 

Weak Employer Branding makes it difficult to attract and retain top talent. Working with multiple agencies often creates inconsistent messaging and poor candidate experiences that damage your reputation. 

Insufficient Onboarding means even the right hire can fail. Technical professionals need clear expectations, adequate support, and structured integration, particularly in the critical first six months. 

How Recruitment Outsourcing Addresses Technical Hiring Failures 

Our Recruitment Outsourcing (RPO) models offer a fundamentally different approach that tackles each failure point systematically. 

Consistent, Quality-Driven Screening 

Recruitment Outsourcing operates as a dedicated function with established frameworks for technical assessment. Rather than varying quality across multiple suppliers, organisations benefit from consistent, rigorous screening that properly evaluates both technical capability and cultural fit. 

As dedicated STEM recruiters, we bring industry expertise and recruitment specialisation, ensuring candidates are thoroughly assessed against both technical requirements and company-specific success factors. 

Enhanced Cultural Alignment 

Operating as an extension of your brand, Recruitment Outsourcing develops a deep understanding of your organisational culture, values, and team dynamics. This knowledge informs every stage of the recruitment process, from initial sourcing to final assessment. 

Unlike external agencies working at arm's length, our Recruitment Outsourcing becomes embedded in your organisation, ensuring cultural fit receives equal priority to technical skills. 

Strategic Brand Management 

We bring expertise in employer brand development and candidate experience design. Every touchpoint in your recruitment process strengthens your reputation in the market, from how candidates discover you to how they experience your application process. 

Our approach includes optimised careers page design and management, applicant tracking system implementation and administration, and consistent professional engagement throughout the hiring journey.  

This integrated brand and process management attracts higher-quality candidates who are more likely to succeed long-term, ensuring a seamless experience that reflects your values and positions you as an employer of choice in competitive STEM markets. 

Comprehensive Process Management 

From initial sourcing through onboarding, Recruitment Outsourcing manages the entire recruitment lifecycle. This end-to-end ownership ensures nothing falls through the cracks and new hires receive proper support from the outset. 

The result is better-prepared candidates arriving with clear, aligned expectations and structured integration into your organisation. 

Data-Driven Improvement 

Recruitment Outsourcing solutions provide comprehensive reporting and insights, enabling organisations to track not just time-to-hire and cost-per-hire, but also quality metrics like retention rates and performance outcomes. 

Our data visibility allows for continuous improvement of the recruitment process, progressively reducing failure rates over time. 

The ROI of Getting Technical Hiring Right 

Reducing technical hiring failures delivers immense value, cutting recruitment costs, maintaining project momentum, and strengthening team stability.  

A Recruitment Outsourcing investment quickly pays for itself through better hiring outcomes, lower agency spend, reduced turnover, and higher productivity, often delivering measurable ROI within the first year. 

Ready to Transform Your Technical Hiring? 

At Owen Daniels, we specialise in Recruitment Outsourcing solutions for STEM sectors. Our dedicated approach to technical recruitment reduces hiring failures, strengthens your employer brand, and delivers measurable improvements in retention and performance. 

Discover how our Recruitment Outsourcing solutions can transform your technical hiring. Download our Recruitment Outsourcing guide or contact us to discuss your recruitment challenges.