Tech leaders spend millions on recruiting, but what if you could cut your churn rate and your pain in half?
When it comes to engineering teams, one metric quietly shapes everything: retention. The best hires become culture-carriers, product stewards, and trusted partners. But when hiring is rushed, transactional, or out of sync with the team’s DNA, the result is a revolving door, costing not just money, but momentum, trust, and reputation. That’s the staffing industry’s dirty secret. At BetterEngineer, we set out to build a radically better solution.
Most recruiting firms claim to solve your hiring problems, but the fine print usually reads: “You’ll be back soon.”
If you’ve worked with traditional staffing, you know the story:
In the standard model, engineers are treated as commodities. But here’s what that model forgets:
This is why relationships always outperform transactions:
When recruiting becomes more than a “fill-the-seat” exercise, you create an environment where engineers feel valued and invested. Relationships mean we understand not only what a team needs but who will truly thrive within it. We discover what motivates each engineer and how they want to grow. That connection inspires commitment, drives innovation, and leads to dramatic increases in both tenure and performance.
Not only do many recruiting firms view talent as interchangeable, but the numbers show why this matters: nearly 40% of new hires turn over in Year 1, meaning a large chunk of recruitment investments vanish before the ROI even materializes.
Traditional staffing solutions prioritize placements, not people. On the surface, they may offer quick CVs and convenient contracts. But beneath, failed hires and short-lived engagements quietly bleed resources from your business. Consider these real costs:
It’s tempting to think that all staffing solutions are the same. After all, there are millions of firms, hiring platforms, and marketplaces promising access to talent. Every provider claims a refined pipeline, curated pool, or proprietary matching process. Some specialize in contract placements, others in direct hire, offshoring, remote, or hyperlocal talent. There are niche boutiques and massive global engines, each touting a different flavor of “fit.”
But despite these models and promises, most providers are built for volume, not longevity. Their pipelines may be deep, but they’re not personalized. Their pools may be vast, but they focus on resumes. And when the priority is speed or simply meeting quotas, it’s easy for fundamental alignment and lasting value to be lost in the shuffle.
The right staffing partner does more than shuffle resumes or flood your inbox: They intentionally connect you to engineers who will care as much about your goals as you do.
Breaking the churn cycle is about more than momentary coverage. Companies that do it win back not just time and productivity, but also confidence. In an industry overrun with “friendlier” or “faster” staffing pitches, choosing a partner that puts relationship and impact first makes all the difference.
We believe retention should be engineered, not left to chance. At BetterEngineer, we built our relationship-first approach because we knew lasting placements demanded more than technical matching. Here’s how we’re different:
The results speak for themselves:
The most successful teams aren’t built in a hurry. They’re crafted with intention, with the right mix of technical talent and cultural alignment, and most importantly, with genuine human relationships as the foundation.
At BetterEngineer, that’s why our engineers don’t disappear after onboarding. They become integral, long-term partners invested in your product’s success as much as your own.
Ready to stop hiring for the short-term and build for the long run?
Let’s build something that lasts.