My name is Misha, and I have been running the Mish design studio for almost three years. When I created my studio, I dreamed of big and exciting projects for my team. The very idea of having to “rent out” any of them to client companies seemed unacceptable to me. But one real-life experience completely changed my attitude toward outstaffing.

A client who had their own IT department alongside working with us as an agency proposed that we provide resources for three months under their management. The result? The client got an excellent product, the designers gained valuable experience, and we strengthened our relationship with the client and began actively working with the outstaffing model. However, we often encounter misunderstanding of this format among designers, so we decided to explain in detail how it actually works.

What is Outstaffing?

Let's start with terminology. Outstaffing is essentially staff leasing, where all legal and financial matters are handled by the company providing the resources. In practice, a designer is employed by one company but performs work for another. In most cases, the designer works in the client's office, completes tasks assigned by the client, and communicates closely with the client company's employees. The outstaffing company, which officially employs the designer, handles their salary, vacation time, and other administrative matters.

Why It's Needed

What makes this collaboration format beneficial for client companies? This approach can be justified with complex financial models proving its cost-effectiveness. But all that is boring, abstract, and not particularly relevant for designers. Besides financial reasons, there are more tangible benefits.

Imagine there's a client on the market—a large bank with its own in-house team. Suddenly, management decides to conduct large-scale research and, based on the results, develop several user scenarios and test them. Pulling people from the main workflow isn't possible. Hiring an entire new team for a project that might not succeed is time-consuming, expensive, and unjustified. If the project gets cancelled, it's unclear what to do with the new hires. This is when an external company with designers comes to the rescue. A similar situation occurs when positions need to be filled quickly using outstaffing resources.

We collaborate with major players like Alfabank, NLMK, Gazprombank, Sportmaster, and others. Experience shows that every large corporation periodically uses outstaffing services. New requests arise daily, while the market faces a shortage of solid mid-level designers.

How Hiring Works: Contact with the Outstaffing Company

Let's examine step-by-step what happens when Company X approaches an outstaffing provider requesting 2-3 designers for a project. Different outstaffers announce vacancies differently: some simply never stop recruiting, while others clearly specify timelines and project details. In practice, the outstaffing company first checks their available in-house resources, then reaches out to partner companies, and only when no suitable designers are found do they begin recruiting from the job market.

We'll focus on designers from the job market, since in-house staff are usually prepared for such scenarios. At Mish, we practice having our staff work temporarily on client-side projects, giving them a chance to work on different products and take a breather, as studio work pace is several times higher.

So, you—a potential candidate—saw an outstaffing company's announcement, sent your resume, and are waiting for a response.

Resume Tips

• The email subject line should contain your level or the position from the vacancy plus your full name. It makes searching easier.
• City location and relocation possibilities, not primary but important.
• Portfolio organized in Figma or collected in one place. Everyone's time is limited, so candidates with huge lists of Google Drive links usually get filtered out.
• Resume link, the outstaffing company prepares CVs specifically for each client, but having your own is beneficial.
• Preferences and salary expectations are better placed at the end.
• Professional preferences are important to specify so you don't end up on a project that completely doesn't interest you.

If your resume fits, you'll be scheduled for a first interview with the outstaffing company. No special preparation needed. The main goal is to verify the designer's adequacy and match with the qualities stated in the resume. Assuming you successfully pass the internal interview, you'll be sent to a second one—with the client company.

Contact with the Client Company

If the outstaffing company has already shown interest in you, leverage this advantage. They can properly prepare you for the client meeting and share all the insider information. Ask in advance what to expect during interviews, how strong the competition is, and where candidates typically struggle. The outstaffing company will provide recommendations on what to read or review, what not to say, and what questions were asked in previous interviews.

Pre-Interview Checklist: Top 6 Points

• Know your strengths and weaknesses and be able to articulate them concisely.
• Prepare to showcase your work despite NDAs.
• Communicate your industry preferences - outstaffing companies usually have multiple openings across different business sectors. If you've worked with complex admin panels, understand wholesale operations, and want to continue in this field, now's the time to mention it.
• Ask all employment-related questions: legitimate salary arrangements, company reputation, project details including timelines, functionality, and potential scenarios. If they're rushing your decision without providing clear information, that's a red flag.
• Review the resume the outstaffing company prepared for you - it might contain unexpected information.
• Join video calls with your camera on from a computer - this significantly increases rapport and allows you to showcase projects if needed.

The Test Assignment

The third stage is the test assignment - an optional step with unpredictable scope. At Mish, we try to compensate candidates for test assignments. Sometimes they're genuinely extensive, and if a candidate has passed previous stages, it's right to incentivize them and boost motivation.

Some companies provide significant hints to candidates. We never do. Our typical guidance looks like "this needs more thought" or "elaborate further here." Why? If we complete the test for the candidate, they'll start work and the deception will be exposed within months. We'll end up with a weak designer we can't place anywhere, damaging relationships with both the candidate and client. Our market reputation suffers too. Nobody wins. So you'll need to handle the assignment independently

The Work Process

You've passed all stages and received a job offer. What's next? Who's responsible for what, and where do you go with questions and issues?

On one hand, Company X should provide work and manage your timing. On the other hand, this is also the outstaffing company's responsibility. They typically assign a manager or HR representative (or both) responsible for your morale, timely salary payments, sick leave and vacation processing, and other financial and personnel matters. The outstaffing company serves as the designer's advocate with the client - they care about your salary and bonuses, and defend you in conflict situations.

Technical aspects like equipment, workspace, and onboarding are also the outstaffing company's responsibility. They should prepare for your start date by ensuring all access and equipment are ready.

The integration process depends on each client's specific tasks and corporate culture. We have client companies where our designers enjoy complete freedom - they design complex systems without art director involvement, conduct their own research, and occasionally tap studio resources for illustrations or copywriting. Some clients integrate designers so well into their teams that they stay 1.5-2 years. We periodically check how they're doing and offer support, but they've become full team members at the companies they're designing for.

They attend corporate events and training sessions. Their work process differs in only one way – it can end.

When Projects End

Several scenarios typically unfold:

• Project extension. If everything went well and there's new backlog, Company X may extend the project for years
• Direct hire offer. If the company likes the designer, they may offer a permanent position. The outstaffing company usually receives small compensation and loses a strong resource, but maintains excellent client relationships
• Return to the studio. The outstaffing company may bring the employee back to work on internal projects. We currently have team members who returned to the "family" after a year-long "assignment" and now handle research on outsourced projects
• New project. In this case, you return to the initial stages with an external interview and a test assignment. You can find many stories on the internet about fraud when working for an outstaffing company. In most cases, these are representatives of low-paid professions who find work through recruitment agencies. The companies disappeared without paying salaries, and there were no employment contracts — the classic scenario. In the IT industry, everything works differently. If someone doesn't pay salaries, the whole market finds out. The image risks here are much higher than an employee's salary, so all market players understand this perfectly well. If you get hired through a large or well-known company, you are 99% protected.

Advantages of working through an outstaffer

• They help you get hired because, besides you, the outstaffer is also interested in this.
• To get hired by a company like Yandex, for example, you need to go through about 5-6 interviews; through outstaffing, you only need to go through two.
• You have the opportunity to work in different teams and gain experience, and changing teams and projects does not lead to dismissal.