Free Assessment Tool · CorePartner
Should you outsource HR or hire internally?Let's find out together.
12 honest questions. An unbiased recommendation from Melissa Murphy, founder of Corel Consulting.
3 minutes
No sign-up needed
Honest advice, no pitch
Section 1 of 3
Your company today
A quick snapshot of where you are. Be honest — this is just between you and the results.
How many full-time employees do you have?
1 – 5 employees
6 – 20 employees
21 – 45 employees
46 – 65 employees
75+ employees
How fast are you growing over the next 12 months?
Stable — not adding headcount
Moderate — adding 2–5 people
Active — adding 6–15 people
Rapid — headcount could double
Where does your team work?
Single office, one state
Hybrid — mix of office and remote
Fully remote, all in one state
Fully remote, employees in multiple states
Who is handling HR right now?
The founder — that's me
No one really — it falls through the cracks
An admin or ops person handling the basics
A dedicated HR person or team
Section 2 of 3
Your real pain points
The more honest you are here, the more useful your results will be.
Have you had turnover in your HR role or struggled to keep someone in that seat? Select all that apply
This includes HR coordinators, generalists, office managers doing HR, or anyone responsible for people operations.
Yes — we've had multiple people in the HR role and it keeps turning over
Yes — we lost our HR person and haven't replaced them yet
Somewhat — the role has been unstable or inconsistently filled
No — we have stable HR coverage in place
How confident are you that you're compliant with employment law in every state where you have employees?
Not at all — we've never formally reviewed this
Somewhat — but we know there are gaps
Mostly — we've done some review
Very — we have a compliance process in place
How would you describe your onboarding process for new hires?
We don't really have one — it's different every time
Informal — we figure it out as we go
Partially documented but inconsistent
Documented and consistent for every hire
How much leadership time goes to HR tasks each week?
Include employee questions, people issues, offer reviews, onboarding, payroll questions, etc.
Under 1 hour — it's minimal
1–3 hours per week
3–6 hours — it's starting to distract from the business
6+ hours — HR is consuming significant leadership time
Have any of these happened in the last 12 months? Select all that apply
A termination, complaint, or employee issue that felt risky
Inconsistent offers or pay that created internal tension
Confusion around contractor vs. employee classification
Higher than expected unemployment claims or disputed terminations
Minor issues but nothing serious
None — things have been smooth
None — things have been smooth
Section 3 of 3
Budget & capacity reality
The build vs. buy decision usually comes down to this. Be realistic — no judgment here.
What does a full-time HR hire look like in your budget right now?
Not realistic — can't justify a $60–90K salary yet
Possible but tight — it would strain the budget
Feasible — we have budget but want to explore options first
We have budget and are actively hiring for this role
How quickly do you need HR support in place?
Now — or within the next 30 days
Within 60–90 days
Within 6 months — we have some runway
No immediate urgency — we're planning ahead
How important is it that HR support feels like a long-term partner, not a one-time vendor?
Very — we want someone embedded in how we operate
Somewhat — ongoing matters but project work is fine too
Not especially — we mainly need a specific problem solved
We prefer to build internal capability and own it ourselves
Honestly — how much is HR holding your business back right now?
A lot — it's creating real risk or slowing growth
Some — we know it matters but keep deprioritizing it
A little — other things take priority right now
Not at all — we feel covered
Answer all 13 questions to unlock your results
Melissa Murphy
Founder · Corel Consulting · CorePartner & CorePay
Helping scaling teams stay compliant + supported. Fractional HR + all-in-one HR & Payroll Tech. Human-led, founder-built.
What your answers show
The honest picture — all three paths
Outsourced HR
CorePartner
Best for 7–65 employees growing fast, where a full-time hire isn't justified yet but senior expertise is needed now.
Hybrid model
Best when you have a junior internal person who needs senior guidance, or a full-time hire is 12–18 months away.
Internal hire
Best at 75+ employees with daily HR complexity, physical presence needs, and budget for a $70–100K senior hire.