Free Assessment Tool · CorePartner
Should you outsource HR or hire internally?Let's find out together.
13 honest questions. A genuinely unbiased recommendation from Corel.
3 minutes
Free email report
Honest advice, no pitch
Benchmarked against research from
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 full-time salary yet
Possible but tight — it would strain our operating budget
Feasible — we have budget but want to evaluate 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
If you were to bring in HR support, what model would best fit how your organization operates?
Ongoing support embedded in our operations over time
A defined project with a clear start and end
Advisory support we can access as needed
We'd prefer to build this capability internally over time
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
Final Step · Your Report
Where should we send your results?
You'll get your honest recommendation, what your answers show, and a link to book a free 20-minute call with Melissa if it's useful.
No spam. No drip sequences. Just your report and a single follow-up if you want one.
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
A fit when you're growing fast, carrying compliance risk, and need senior expertise before a full-time hire is justified — research from Deloitte and SHRM points here for lean, scaling teams.
Hybrid model
A fit when you have a junior internal person who needs senior guidance, or a full-time hire is on the horizon but coverage is needed now.
Internal hire
A fit when daily HR complexity, physical presence, and operating budget align — BLS data shows the math typically works once HR work demands a full-time seat.