# What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for recruiting agencies (small businesses) on 2026-10-14

## In short

On 2026-10-14, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best recruiting agencies for small businesses". It named 7 brands, in this order: Robert Half, flat-fee, LaSalle Network, Trustpilot, Zoho Recruit, Breezy and AvaHR.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best recruiting agencies for small businesses |
| Asked on | 2026-10-14 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 7 |
| Sources cited | 16 |
| Audience | small businesses |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-10-14 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/recruiting-agencies-small-businesses-2026-10-14
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-10-14 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search (model claude-opus-5).

> Searched, and a flag up front: this query is almost entirely owned by SEO/affiliate content. Several of the "top 10 RPO firms" and "Robert Half review" pages that rank are published by recruiting firms ranking themselves. So here's what I'd actually tell you, with the sourced numbers where they exist.
> 
> ## First, the honest framing
> 
> For a small business, "which agency" is usually the second question. The first is whether you should use one at all. A contingency agency costs **15-25% of first-year salary**; retained search runs **25-40%**; flat-fee shops charge **$5K-$30K** per hire depending on seniority ([AIHR](https://www.aihr.com/hr-glossary/recruitment-fees/), [Hyring](https://hyring.com/blog/recruitment-agency-fees-usa/)). On a $70K role that's $10K-$17K. For most roles under ~$80K with a decent local applicant pool, that money is better spent on your own job ads.
> 
> So, in the order I'd actually work through:
> 
> **1. A boutique agency in your city and your niche.** This is genuinely the best answer for most small businesses and the one listicles can't give you, because it's local. Regional specialists - [LaSalle Network](https://thelasallenetwork.com/) in Chicago (accounting, admi

## Brands named, in the order the engine gave

| Position | Brand | How it was named |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Half | mentioned |
| 2 | flat-fee | mentioned |
| 3 | LaSalle Network | mentioned |
| 4 | Trustpilot | mentioned |
| 5 | Zoho Recruit | mentioned |
| 6 | Breezy | mentioned |
| 7 | AvaHR | mentioned |

## Sources the engine cited

- https://www.aihr.com/hr-glossary/recruitment-fees/ (other)
- https://hyring.com/blog/recruitment-agency-fees-usa/ (other)
- https://thelasallenetwork.com/ (other)
- https://www.roberthalf.com/ (vendor)
- https://www.lancerreview.com/review/robert-half (other)
- https://www.consumeraffairs.com/employment/robert-half.html (other)
- https://www.insperity.com/ (other)
- https://fitsmallbusiness.com/insperity-review/ (other)
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/insperity-review/ (other)
- https://www.bizfirst.net/insights/guide-rpo-embedded-recruiting-smb.html (other)
- https://eorhq.com/guides/rpo-cost-guide/ (other)
- https://www.zoho.com/recruit/ (other)
- https://capterra.com/resources/best-recruiting-software-for-small-business-reviews-analysis (review)
- https://softwareadvice.com/hr/indeed-for-employers-profile/vs/ziprecruiter/ (review)
- https://www.capterra.com/compare/130706-234965/ZipRecruiter-vs-LinkedIn-Recruiter (review)
- https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Hire-Velocity-Reviews-E311940.htm (other)

The question page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/recruiting-agencies/small-businesses

Alerts and membership: Answer Watch Pro, 79 USD per month: https://bikoosh.com/answers. Bikoosh is monitoring assistance, not complete protection.

Answer Watch records what one AI answer engine said on one date, nothing more. Each page names the engine and the model, carries the date the question was asked, and lists the brands that appeared in the answer in the order the engine gave them, with the sources it cited. It is a measurement, not a ranking, not a recommendation and not a claim about the world. Brands that did not appear in an answer are not named on any public page. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.