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Your daily work routine runs smoothly, your tasks are familiar, and you consistently deliver good results. From the outside, everything seems stable—and yet, at some point, many people begin to feel as though they’ve hit a plateau. There’s a lack of new inspiration, challenges, or clear prospects for growth. It is precisely this phase that is often referred to as a career plateau.

Such a plateau can be frustrating, especially in a work environment that is strongly focused on progress, growth, and change. But stagnation does not automatically mean regression. Rather, it is often a phase of reorientation that gives you the opportunity to more consciously examine your professional situation and actively shape it.

Why a career plateau is not an exception

Careers rarely follow a straight path these days. While clear steps up the ladder used to be the norm, modern career paths are increasingly flexible and tailored to the individual. Phases of stability are just as much a part of the journey as phases of upheaval.

A career plateau often arises when you have largely exhausted the professional potential of your current role. Routines set in, challenges diminish, and further development no longer happens automatically. At the same time, these phases are often a sign that you have established yourself at a high level—a success that is easily overlooked in everyday life.

Nevertheless, it’s important not to ignore this feeling. If you remain stuck in such a situation for too long, you risk losing motivation and experiencing long-term job dissatisfaction.

Consciously assess your current situation

The first step toward breaking out of a career plateau is to clearly analyze your current situation. This is less about finding quick fixes and more about honestly understanding your needs.

Think about what you’re specifically missing. Perhaps you want more responsibility or would like to be more involved in decision-making. Similarly, the desire for new professional challenges or a clearer career path may be at the forefront. It often becomes apparent that personal priorities have shifted over time—for example, toward greater flexibility, a sense of purpose, or work-life balance.

This reflection helps you plan your next steps not impulsively, but in a targeted and strategic manner.

Creating New Momentum in a Targeted Way

Once you have a clearer understanding of your situation, you can begin to actively inject new momentum into your career. Your own initiative is key here.

In many cases, your current position already offers room for growth. By specifically asking for new tasks or projects, you demonstrate commitment and a willingness to take on responsibility. Taking on additional tasks can also help make your daily work more varied again and build new skills.

Furthermore, continuing education plays a central role. Continuously expanding your skills is an important building block for long-term professional success today. New qualifications not only open up opportunities in your current job but also improve your prospects in the job market as a whole.

Actively Address Your Career Development

Communication is a factor that is often underestimated when dealing with a career plateau. Many opportunities go untapped because expectations and aspirations are not clearly articulated.

An open conversation with your manager can help you develop new perspectives. Describe your current situation, discuss your goals, and share concrete ideas about how you’d like to grow. It’s important to adopt a solution-oriented approach: highlight the added value your development brings to the company as well.

Often, it is precisely through such conversations that new opportunities arise—whether in the form of projects, areas of responsibility, or clear steps for development.

Expand your horizons and explore new paths

The right solution isn’t always found within your current role. A career plateau can also be a sign that a change makes sense.

This doesn’t necessarily have to mean changing jobs. Often, alternative paths open up within a company, such as by moving to a different department or pursuing a new professional focus. Consciously choosing to forego a traditional management track in favor of specialization can also be a sensible step.

The key is to remain open to new options and actively explore them. Especially in a dynamic work environment, opportunities often arise where you least expect them.

Seeing a Career Plateau as an Opportunity

Even though a career plateau may initially feel like a standstill, it also offers an important advantage: it creates space for deliberate decisions.

During this phase, you have the opportunity to reflect on your past experiences, redefine your goals, and strategically align your career. Instead of merely reacting to external developments, you can actively set the course.

Many successful careers are not characterized by continuous growth, but by precisely such transitional phases in which important new directions are set.

Conclusion: Stagnation as a Starting Point

A career plateau is not a sign that your professional development is coming to an end. Rather, it is a natural phase that shows you it is time for new momentum.

By consciously analyzing your situation, actively seeking new challenges, and openly discussing your goals, you lay the groundwork for your next career move. The key is not to passively endure this phase, but to actively shape it.

After all, it is often from this supposed standstill that the greatest momentum arises.

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The world of work is changing rapidly. Digitalization, automation, and new business models are increasingly breaking down traditional career paths. Instead of linear career trajectories, a new concept is gaining prominence: Career 2.0—flexible, learning-oriented, and open to professional reorientation. Continuing education plays a central role in this. It is the key to unlocking new opportunities and actively shaping one’s own professional path.

The Changing World of Work

Just a few decades ago, it was common to stay in the profession one had learned for a lifetime. Today, however, changing jobs, switching industries, and acquiring new skills are a natural part of career development. Reasons for this include:

•    Technological progress and digitalization

•    New demands on skilled workers

•    Skills shortages in certain industries

•    Changing expectations of employees

This transformation opens up opportunities—especially for those who are willing to continuously develop their skills.

Continuing Education as a Door-Opener

Continuing education has long been more than just a “nice-to-have.” It is a crucial factor in staying ahead in your career or even breaking new ground. Whether it’s part-time courses, certificate programs, or career change training—the options are diverse.

Continuing education programs are particularly valuable when they:

• provide practical knowledge

• address current market demands

• can be flexibly integrated into daily life

• are recognized and certified
  

With the right qualifications, you can also successfully transition to a new industry—for example, from business administration to IT, from marketing to project management, or from an operational role to a strategic one.

New Opportunities Through Lifelong Learning

The concept of “lifelong learning” is more relevant today than ever before. Those who continuously invest in their skills not only enhance their appeal in the job market but also increase their personal satisfaction.

Continuing education can help you:

• discover hidden strengths

• develop new interests

• build self-confidence in your job

• actively shape your own career
  

Especially in times of uncertainty or career upheaval, continuing education can serve as an important anchor—and at the same time, the starting point for something new.

Successfully navigating a career change

Entering a new professional field often seems challenging—but with the right strategy, it is well within reach. The key is:

1. Define your goal: Where do you want your career journey to take you?

2. Analyze your skills: What abilities do I already possess?

3. Fill knowledge gaps: Select appropriate continuing education programs

4. Leverage networks: Build connections and benefit from others’ experiences

5. Show courage: Take the leap and seize opportunities

Many companies today value diverse resumes and career changers, as they bring fresh perspectives and new ways of thinking.

Conclusion: Rethinking Your Career

The traditional career ladder is a thing of the past—today, what counts is a willingness to grow and explore new paths. Continuing education is a key tool for broadening your professional horizons and actively shaping your future.

Those who invest in themselves not only remain competitive but also gain the freedom to shape their own careers on their own terms. Career 2.0 means staying flexible, being curious, and recognizing opportunities.

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Recruiting has become significantly more demanding for many companies. Labor markets are tighter, candidates are more selective, departments expect faster hiring and internal HR teams are often already operating at full capacity.

This turns the question “Should recruiting stay in-house or be outsourced?” into a strategic make-or-buy decision. Companies need to understand which recruiting and HR processes they should control internally – and where external staffing partners can provide faster, more scalable and more cost-effective support.

The key point: Outsourcing recruiting does not mean giving up control. It means keeping strategic responsibilities in-house while assigning operational, time-consuming or fluctuating tasks to external experts.

What Does Make-or-Buy Mean in Recruiting?

Make-or-buy in recruiting means that companies consciously decide which recruiting tasks they handle internally and which they assign to external partners. This may include active sourcing, applicant management, candidate pre-screening, permanent placement, temporary staffing, flexible workforce models or entire recruiting processes.

The goal is not to outsource as much as possible. The goal is to create an economically sensible division of responsibilities. The company keeps control over strategy, culture and final hiring decisions. External partners support areas where speed, reach, market knowledge or scalability are decisive.

Why Make-or-Buy in Recruiting Is Becoming More Important

Many HR departments are still responsible for traditional core tasks such as contract management, payroll, HR administration, employee data and employment law topics. At the same time, they are expected to recruit more actively, strengthen employer branding, approach candidates directly and advise departments strategically.

In daily operations, this often creates bottlenecks. Vacancies remain open longer, managers spend more time on recruiting, operational teams come under pressure and selection processes become inconsistent.

This is especially relevant for mid-sized companies, industrial businesses, logistics providers, production sites, administrative teams and customer service organizations. They increasingly need to ask: Which recruiting tasks do we really need to manage ourselves – and which can external staffing partners handle more efficiently?

Outsourcing Recruiting Without Losing Control

A common concern is that companies lose influence over hiring decisions when they involve external partners.

This does not have to be the case. Successful recruiting outsourcing clearly separates strategic control from operational relief.

Companies should continue to define which profiles they need, which requirements are essential, what kind of culture candidates need to fit into and who is ultimately hired.

External staffing partners can support tasks that are especially time-consuming or require specific market access: candidate acquisition, direct search, applicant management, pre-screening, administration or flexible staffing models.

This keeps decision-making authority inside the company while reducing workload for HR teams and departments.

Which Recruiting Processes Should Stay In-House?

Not every HR task is suitable for outsourcing. Some areas are closely linked to strategy, culture and leadership and should therefore remain under internal control.

Strategic Workforce Planning

The question of which skills a company will need in the next 12, 24 or 36 months is a strategic leadership responsibility. It depends on growth plans, digitalization, production planning, location strategy and market development.

External partners can provide market insights, salary indications and candidate availability data. However, the decision about which roles will be business-critical in the future must remain internal.

Employer Branding and Employer Positioning

A company can receive support with communication, campaigns and candidate messaging. But its true employer identity cannot be fully outsourced.

What makes the company attractive as an employer? Which values are genuinely lived? Which promises can credibly be made to candidates? These answers must come from within the organization.

Final Hiring Decision

The final hiring decision should always remain with the company. Only internal managers and teams can fully assess whether a person is the right professional, cultural and organizational fit.

External partners can identify, approach and pre-screen suitable candidates. The final decision remains internal.

Onboarding and Employee Retention

Even if an external partner supports the search process, integrating new employees remains an internal responsibility. Onboarding, leadership, team integration and long-term retention cannot be fully delegated.

Where External Staffing Partners Provide Measurable Relief

External support is especially valuable when recruiting tasks are operationally demanding, time-critical or difficult to scale.

Candidate Acquisition and Active Sourcing

Actively approaching suitable candidates requires time, experience, tools and networks. For many companies, it is not economically sensible to build dedicated sourcing structures for every occupational group.

Especially for skilled trades, shift workers, logistics roles, commercial specialists and technical functions, external staffing partners can often provide faster access to suitable candidates.

Pre-Screening and Applicant Management

A large part of recruiting effort happens before the final interview: reviewing applications, contacting candidates, checking availability, completing documents, matching requirements and coordinating appointments.

These tasks require a lot of time but are not always strategic. External partners can reduce workload by presenting only suitable and pre-qualified profiles.

Short-Term or Fluctuating Staffing Needs

Internal HR teams are usually designed for an average hiring demand. Bottlenecks occur when many positions need to be filled at the same time and at short notice.

Typical triggers include new orders, seasonal peaks, production ramp-ups, site expansions, project launches or sickness-related absences. External staffing partners can add speed and flexibility in these situations.

Temporary Staffing and Flexible Workforce Models

Temporary staffing, employee leasing and project-based staffing models involve administrative and legal requirements. These include workforce planning, contract documentation, deadlines, equal-pay regulations, working time issues and compliance.

Experienced staffing partners have established processes and routines to implement flexible staffing models efficiently and in line with legal requirements.

Specialized Search in Tight Labor Markets

Some profiles are difficult to reach through traditional job ads. This applies, for example, to maintenance, quality management, production, logistics, technical professions or technical sales roles.

In these cases, simply publishing a job ad is often not enough. Direct approach, market knowledge and existing candidate pools are needed.

Common Mistakes in Make-or-Buy Recruiting Decisions

Many companies only consider external support once pressure is already high. This often creates avoidable costs.

One common mistake is comparing only direct costs. External provider fees are visible, while internal effort is often underestimated. But internal recruiting also consumes time from HR, managers and departments.

Vacancy costs must also be considered: production delays, overtime, postponed projects, lower service quality or additional pressure on existing teams.

Another mistake is trying to fill all roles with the same recruiting model. Production workers, commercial profiles, specialists, technical experts and executives differ significantly in search channels, availability and selection processes.

A sound make-or-buy decision therefore considers role type, urgency, hiring volume, qualification level, labor market availability and internal capacity.

When Is It Worth Outsourcing Recruiting?

Recruiting outsourcing or external staffing support can be particularly useful when several of the following points apply:

• Vacancies regularly remain open for more than six weeks.

• The HR team is permanently working at capacity.

• Managers spend a lot of time on recruiting tasks.

• Traditional job ads do not generate enough suitable applications.

• Several roles need to be filled at short notice.

• Staffing needs fluctuate due to orders, projects or seasonality.

• Certain profiles are difficult to find in the regional market.

• Time-to-hire affects production, service, projects or delivery capability.

• Flexible staffing models create legal or administrative uncertainty.

• Hiring quality is inconsistent or early turnover is too high.

The more points apply, the more likely it is that external recruiting support will be economically worthwhile.

Which External Recruiting Models Are Available?

Permanent Placement

Permanent placement is suitable when companies are looking for direct hires but lack internal sourcing capacity or face a difficult candidate market. The staffing partner identifies suitable candidates, checks their fit and supports the process. The employment contract is concluded directly between the candidate and the company.

Temporary Staffing

Temporary staffing is useful for short-term, seasonal or fluctuating staffing needs. Companies gain flexibility without immediately entering into long-term employment commitments. This model is particularly relevant in production, logistics, warehousing, industry and service areas.

Recruitment Process Outsourcing

Recruitment Process Outsourcing, or RPO, is suitable for companies with high hiring volumes or standardized recruiting processes. An external partner takes over defined parts of recruiting or the entire process.

Managed Services and Process Outsourcing

Managed services go beyond filling individual positions. They support operational sub-processes or entire functional areas, for example in warehousing, assembly, quality checks, administration or workforce management.

How Companies Can Make a Sound Make-or-Buy Decision

A strong decision is based on transparency rather than gut feeling.

First, companies should map which recruiting tasks are currently handled internally and how much time they actually require. Next, staffing needs should be structured: Which roles are needed regularly? Where do short-term peaks occur? Which profiles are particularly difficult to find?

After that, costs should be compared realistically. This includes internal working time, opportunity costs, vacancy costs, job advertising costs, tool costs and potential provider fees.

A practical starting point is often a pilot project – for example for one occupational group, one location or one clearly defined staffing need. Useful KPIs include time-to-fill, candidate quality, process workload, cost per hire and department satisfaction.

Conclusion: More Efficient Recruiting Without Giving Up Control

Make-or-buy in recruiting is rarely an either-or decision. The best solution is often a hybrid model: companies keep strategy, culture and final hiring decisions in-house while assigning operational, time-consuming or fluctuating tasks to external partners.

This keeps control within the company while reducing workload for HR teams and departments.

We support companies in assessing staffing needs, choosing suitable recruiting models and making HR processes more efficient – from permanent placement and temporary staffing to comprehensive process support.

Would you like to find out which recruiting or HR processes in your company could be meaningfully relieved? A structured needs analysis is the first step.

Get in touch now!

Many companies only react to recruitment needs once the situation has become acute. A position becomes vacant, projects are under pressure, teams are reaching their limits – and suddenly the role needs to be filled ‘as quickly as possible’.

This reactive approach is still the norm in many organisations. However, it is costly, prone to errors and leads to structural bottlenecks in the long term.

This is precisely where workforce planning comes in: not reacting, but thinking ahead.

Why reactive recruitment has its limits

Reactive recruitment often arises from operational necessity. At the same time, it brings with it typical challenges:

• rushed selection processes under time pressure

• lower fit accuracy in hiring

• increased costs due to long vacancy periods

• high workload on internal HR teams

• lack of strategic overview of personnel

The problem here is not so much the individual hire, but the lack of predictability behind it. Companies optimise in the short term – but lose efficiency in the long term.

What workforce planning really means

Workforce planning describes the systematic planning of staffing requirements based on business objectives, projections and scenarios.

Instead of asking “Which position is currently vacant?”, the focus is on the question:

“Which skills will be needed in the coming months and years – and when?”

Among other things, the following are taken into account:

• planned growth targets

• seasonal or project-related fluctuations

• demographic developments within the company

• technological changes and new skill requirements

• staff turnover and internal career paths

The aim is to identify staffing requirements at an early stage and prepare for them in a targeted manner.

From reaction to planning: the key shift in perspective

The difference between reactive recruitment and workforce planning lies primarily in the timing of the decision.

Reactive means:

→ A need arises → A vacancy is advertised → The search begins under pressure

Strategic means:

→ Needs are anticipated → Measures are prepared → Recruitment begins in a controlled manner

This shift in perspective leads to significantly more stable recruitment processes and considerably reduces short-term bottlenecks.

1. Data as the basis for better HR decisions

Workforce planning is not based on gut feeling, but on data.

Relevant data sources include:

• historical recruitment and turnover rates

• project and revenue forecasts

• internal skills analyses

• recruitment lead times

• market and industry trends

The better this data is utilised, the more accurately future staffing requirements can be planned.

2. Scenarios instead of individual decisions

A central component of modern workforce planning is working with scenarios:

• What happens with 10% growth?

• How do requirements change with new projects?

• Which roles will be reduced or replaced by automation?

Instead of relying on a fixed plan, flexible models are created that take different developments into account.

3. Recruitment becomes part of the overall strategy

Workforce planning shifts recruitment from a purely HR function into corporate strategy.

In concrete terms, this means:

• early coordination between HR and line departments

• clear prioritisation of future roles

• building talent pools for planned requirements

• use of flexible models to bridge transitional phases

Access to qualified candidates via existing networks or structured recruitment processes plays a central role here. Efficient staffing can help fill planned vacancies more quickly and effectively.

4. Technology as an enabler of workforce planning

Modern workforce planning processes are increasingly supported by digital solutions. They help to structure data, identify patterns and make more informed decisions.

HR technologies enable, among other things:

• greater transparency regarding internal skill structures

• faster analysis of staffing requirements

• more efficient coordination between departments

• data-driven decision-making for recruitment

This makes workforce planning not only more strategic but also operationally feasible.

Conclusion: Planning beats reaction

Reactive recruitment is becoming increasingly difficult in dynamic markets. Companies that only act once the need has already arisen regularly find themselves under pressure.

Companies that accelerate their processes, access the right resources and respond flexibly can significantly reduce these costs whilst ensuring their ability to act.

The result is not only faster recruitment, but above all greater stability, better predictability and lower costs in the recruitment process.

Would you like to find out how workforce planning can be strategically implemented in your company? Then please feel free to get in touch for a no-obligation consultation.

Unfilled roles are more than just an organisational problem. They have a direct impact on productivity, turnover and team dynamics – often more so than is immediately apparent. Nevertheless, the actual costs of unfilled roles are underestimated in many companies.

The so-called Total Cost of Vacancy (TCV) reveals precisely these hidden effects. Understanding it enables you to make more informed recruitment decisions – and take targeted action.

What does Total Cost of Vacancy mean?

The Total Cost of Vacancy describes the total costs incurred by a vacant position – ranging from direct financial losses to indirect effects within the company.

These include, amongst others:

• lost revenue or delayed projects

• productivity losses within the team

• additional workload for existing staff

• opportunity costs due to missed market opportunities

• additional costs due to prolonged recruitment processes

The longer a position remains unfilled, the more these factors add up.

Why vacant positions are often more expensive than expected

Many companies focus primarily on the costs of a new hire – such as salary, recruitment expenses or onboarding. The costs of a vacant position, on the other hand, are often not systematically recorded.

Yet they can quickly turn out to be significantly higher.

Example:

If a sales-related position remains unfilled, not only is there a lack of operational capacity – potential revenue is also lost. In project-based areas, delays can lead to contractual penalties or follow-up orders that cannot be fulfilled.

Internal costs also arise: teams have to take on extra tasks, shift priorities or work overtime. In the long term, this can affect motivation and performance.

How to calculate the Total Cost of Vacancy

An exact calculation is not always straightforward, but an approximation already provides a valuable basis for decision-making.

Typical calculation methods are:

• Revenue-based calculation: Annual revenue per employee ÷ working days = potential daily loss

• Productivity-based approach: Proportion of work not performed within the team × average value added

• Project-based assessment: Costs arising from delays, lost contracts or inefficient use of resources

What matters is not so much the exact figure as the understanding:

Every day a position remains unfilled has a measurable economic impact.

Where the greatest time losses occur in recruitment

To reduce the Total Cost of Vacancy, it is worth examining typical factors causing delays in recruitment:

• unclear or overly complex job profiles

• lengthy coordination processes between departments

• lack of prioritisation of open positions

• limited internal recruitment capacity

• lack of access to suitable candidates

Especially when combined, these factors lead to recruitment processes dragging on unnecessarily.

How companies can specifically reduce their time-to-fill

Anyone wishing to reduce the costs of unfilled positions must focus primarily on the time-to-hire. Several levers can help with this:

1. Consistently simplify recruitment processes

Clear responsibilities, fewer coordination loops and structured decision-making processes speed up the entire process – without compromising quality.

2. Make sensible use of technology

Digital solutions can make recruitment processes significantly more efficient – for example, through automated matching, structured data processing or optimised communication.

Modern HR technology solutions help to identify candidates more quickly and speed up administrative processes.

3. Secure access to qualified talent pools

Time is often wasted by having to start each search from scratch. Access to existing networks or qualified candidate pools can significantly shorten this process.

A structured recruitment process helps to identify suitable candidates more quickly and streamline the selection process.

4. Utilise flexible staffing models

Not every vacancy needs to be filled immediately on a long-term basis. Flexible models can help bridge short-term bottlenecks, particularly for time-critical needs.

Temporary staffing, for example, makes it possible to deploy qualified staff quickly whilst gaining time to make a sustainable hiring decision.

A strategic shift in perspective: recruitment as a value driver

The Total Cost of Vacancy clearly shows that recruitment is not merely a cost factor, but a crucial lever for business success.

Companies that optimise their recruitment processes benefit in several ways:

• lower financial losses due to vacancy periods

• more stable team structures

• faster implementation of projects

• better utilisation of market opportunities

A fast and efficient recruitment process therefore has a direct impact on competitiveness.

Conclusion: Every vacant role comes at a price

Unfilled positions often incur higher costs than initially assumed. The Total Cost of Vacancy highlights these impacts – and lays the foundation for better recruitment decisions.

Companies that accelerate their processes, access the right resources and respond flexibly can significantly reduce these costs whilst ensuring their ability to act.

Would you like to find out how to shorten your recruitment times and reduce vacancy costs in a targeted manner? Then please feel free to get in touch for a no-obligation consultation on suitable solutions.