Interim recruiters ready to go in 72 hours. Without the risks associated with freelancers.
An interim recruiter from Kooku is an experienced recruiter who joins your team on a permanent basis for 3 to 12 months and fills open positions independently. Billed on a daily rate basis, with no placement fee. Vacancies are typically filled within an average of 28 days.
Free Initial Consultation
Get to Know Kooku
When Interim Recruiting Can Help
Every week without staff costs revenue and capacity.
When there is a lack of recruiting capacity, key positions remain unfilled and projects come to a standstill. Interim recruiting fills exactly this gap—flexibly and predictably.
Key positions remain unfilled because of a lack of capacity or experience in the recruiting process.
An experienced interim recruiter will step in immediately and work systematically to fill the open positions.
A hiring surge or a parental leave replacement can overwhelm your HR team.
You can hire experienced recruitment professionals for exactly as long as you need them.
You hire and manage individual freelancers yourself, often without backup or a standardized approach.
At Kooku, you get managed recruiting services with team support and consistent quality through training.
Here's how it works
How does interim recruiting work at Kooku?
Experienced recruiters will work on your team from day one, both in an operational capacity and, if desired, in a leadership role.
Here's How Your Project Will Proceed
Project launch in 72 hours, followed by staffing in an average of 28 days.
- Day 0Initial Consultation and Needs AssessmentDuring a brief call, we'll discuss your requirements and determine which recruiter is the best fit for your department.
- After 24–48 hoursSuitable RecruitersYou'll meet the selected interim recruiters in person and decide who will join your team.
- Starting at 72 hoursStart as part of the teamYour new team member will start remotely or on-site and immediately fill the open positions.
- In ProgressHiring and HandoverYour open positions will be filled, with a smooth transition to your team.
Your team, with additional support as needed
A dedicated point of contact manages your project and serves as your consistent point of reference. When specialized knowledge or short-term capacity is needed, we draw on our network of specialists, which includes access to over 1,000 freelancers. Every assignment is vetted in advance according to Kooku standards, is contracted through Kooku, and is managed by Kooku. Everything is handled through a single point of contact, ensuring consistent quality.
What's Behind the Mission
- A Direct Line of Communication Within Your TeamNo account manager in the middle—you work directly with your recruiter.
- Active Sourcing with a Full Suite of ToolsIncludes LinkedIn Recruiter, Xing Talent Manager, and other platforms.
- Weekly KPI ReportingTime-to-hire, pipeline status, and source performance displayed in real time on the dashboard.
- Process Playbooks and MethodologyStructured selection process focused on professional and cultural fit.
What We Promise
- Experienced Senior RecruitersReady to hit the ground running, without a lengthy onboarding process at your expense.
- Full ControlYou decide on the scope, duration, and renewal.
- Predictable and FlexibleYou can extend or end the assignment within the agreed-upon terms.
- Knowledge transfer includedProcesses and know-how remain with your team after the assignment.
Terms and Conditions
Billing is based on a daily rate, depending on seniority. You can download a concise summary of our general terms and conditions in the service sheet.
Customer Success · Legal AI
Noxtua: Filled 16 Key Roles in 7 Months and Automated the Hiring Process
View Project Details
The challenge
The hiring teams' recruiting needs competed with product development. There were 19 key roles to fill, and at the same time, the recruiting processes and IT infrastructure needed to be automated.
What Kooku Has Built
- Recruiting dashboard providing an overview of open and filled positions, filtered by department and hiring manager.
- Personio optimized: standardized interview sequences, scorecards, and automatic pre-screening of applications.
- Automated grading of coding challenges, evaluation time reduced by over 80% (from 30 to 5 minutes).
- Job postings tailored to specific target groups and pre-qualification through screening questions.
Read the entire case studyWorking with Kooku was the perfect blend of strategic foresight and operational execution. We were particularly impressed by the balance between automation and a personal touch in the candidate experience. Overall, the project was a real boon to our growth.
What Sets Kooku's Interim Recruiters Apart
Experienced, trained team
Our recruiting specialists combine many years of experience with up-to-date industry knowledge. Ongoing communication within the team ensures consistent quality and measurable results.
Candidate Experience as the Standard
Candidates receive prompt, clear communication from the initial contact through to the job offer. For us, this is part of our service—not an extra—and it protects your employer brand.
Recruiting Expertise, Not a Fluke
We employ recruiting specialists, not generalist freelancers. We focus on what matters most in recruiting: adherence to processes, high-quality data, and clear communication with all stakeholders.
No markup, no commission
By hiring directly, you avoid the markups that intermediaries add to daily rates. You pay the price the work is worth, without the commission charged by large agencies.
We're familiar with your department
Our interim recruiters get to know your company and your department from the ground up. That's how we find candidates who are a good professional fit and a cultural match for your team.
Frequently Asked Questions About Interim Recruiting at Kooku
What does an interim recruiter cost per hour?
At Kooku, we bill for interim recruiting on a daily rate basis, tiered according to seniority and the scope of the assignment, with no placement fee. The fee includes our suite of tools—including LinkedIn Recruiter and Xing Talent Manager—the KPI dashboard, and experienced senior recruiters. The daily rate depends on the scope and duration of the project. You’ll receive a specific quote after a brief initial consultation.
What is Interim Recruiting?
Interim recruiting means that a company receives support from external recruiting specialists for a defined period of time, either by having them take over the entire recruiting process or by supplementing the existing HR team. Many companies turn to external recruiting support when facing staffing shortages, rather than leaving open positions unfilled for months. At Kooku, interim recruiters integrate seamlessly into your team and reduce the average time-to-hire to 28 days.
How does an interim recruiter support your recruiting team?
An interim recruiter from Kooku works directly within your HR team and provides support from the job description stage through to contract negotiations. This includes creating job descriptions, drafting job postings tailored to specific target audiences, active sourcing via LinkedIn, Xing, and other channels, pre-screening qualified candidates, and guiding you through the entire applicant selection process. In addition, our recruiters develop guidelines for optimal HR processes and analyze the talent market in your industry. The goal is a streamlined recruiting process that helps your company achieve better talent management in the long term.
What are the benefits of interim recruiting for you?
Interim recruiting offers a high degree of flexibility: You can access qualified recruiting expertise for exactly as long as you need it, without having to permanently expand your staff. Unlike traditional headhunting, you pay on a daily rate basis with no placement fee, and the recruiter handles multiple open positions simultaneously. Kooku interim recruiters receive ongoing training in active sourcing, communication, employer branding, and interview techniques. By integrating directly into your team, they focus not only on qualifications but also on cultural fit. The average time-to-hire is 28 days.
What key figures does Kooku use for KPI-based interim recruiting?
We track time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, offer acceptance rate, and candidate engagement. You can view all metrics in real time on the dashboard and receive weekly reports. These KPIs are based on over ten years of recruiting experience dating back to 2014. On average, Kooku projects achieve a time-to-hire of 28 days.
What is the difference between an interim recruiting team and individual freelancers?
With a freelancer placement service, you hire an individual and manage them yourself. With Kooku, you receive a managed service with a dedicated point of contact, binding standards, KPI transparency, and an escalation process. You’ll receive process playbooks and a structured selection process focused on cultural fit. If needed, we’ll bring in additional support from a network of specialists—all under contract and billed through Kooku. Pure placement is the exception for us.
Does Kooku also offer interim recruiter services remotely in Germany?
Yes. Our recruiters work remotely and serve companies nationwide. A remote setup saves on travel costs and allows projects to get started within 72 hours. Kooku operates across multiple locations—Berlin, Hamburg, and Barcelona. Quality is ensured regardless of location through weekly KPI reports and a live dashboard.
How quickly does an interim recruiting agency deliver the first candidates?
After the initial consultation, your project will get underway within 72 hours. Through active outbound sourcing, we reach out to suitable candidates in a targeted manner and continuously present you with profiles that are a good fit both professionally and culturally. Our average time-to-hire is 28 days. For interim recruiting, we work on a daily rate basis. You bear the capacity risk, but in return, you have full control over the process and direct access to senior recruiters.
Would you rather speak with us in person?
Mathias Mengel
Managing Director of Kooku Recruiting GmbH
Mathias leads Kooku Recruiting Partners with a clear focus on data-driven and fair recruiting solutions.
Together with experienced interim recruiters and consultants, he helps companies fill open positions in a targeted manner and refine their recruiting strategies. Since 2014, Kooku has supported over 250 companies in this way.
