Creating a high-performing team is no easy task. It involves recruiting efforts that can be time-consuming and pose a challenge for HR teams lacking specialized recruiters. Consequently, these teams may have to prioritize hiring at the expense of other HR initiatives. In extreme cases, they may be stretched too thin and unable to keep up with hiring demands, resulting in multiple vacancies. To solve these issues, some HR managers turn to recruitment process outsourcing for help. Is it time for your HR team to do the same? Read on to find out.
Defining Recruitment Process Outsourcing
Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is when your business outsources part or all of your recruiting activities.
RPO providers act as an extension of your internal team. They can either act on behalf of your team (using your team email, signature, etc.) or represent your team as a third party.
An RPO provider can:
- Manage job posts
- Connect with passive applicants
- Recommend top candidates
- Set up phone screens and in-person interviews
- Provide access to cutting-edge recruiting technology
- And more!
A good RPO provider will work closely with your HR team (or hiring decision-maker) to assess your needs, budget, and company culture before beginning the recruiting process. Their services can be on-demand, so you can request their help when you have outstanding hiring needs.
How to Know If Your Business Needs Recruitment Process Outsourcing
So how do you know if your business needs to work with an RPO provider? Let’s explore a few tell-tale signs that your HR team is in need of.
Your Business Needs to Scale Quickly
There’s a good chance that your business doesn’t always need to hire a lot of candidates at once. However, situations like significant team expansion or the sudden departure of critical team members may create a sense of urgency to find skilled candidates promptly, or else risk failing to meet crucial business objectives.
In such circumstances, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) providers can offer on-demand services. They can quickly initiate the process of augmenting your team as soon as they receive the go-ahead from your team.
Your HR Team Needs to Focus on Other Projects
Recruiting effectively requires a dedicated effort and investment of time. Hiring managers must move swiftly to attract, identify, and engage with top-tier candidates to ensure they don’t lose them to other companies. However, smaller HR teams may find it challenging to meet these demands while also juggling other critical HR initiatives. This may result in hasty hiring decisions that lead to unfavorable outcomes.
HR teams can delegate the recruitment workload by utilizing RPO and free up time for other essential projects. It’s a great way to allow your HR team to keep up with their core tasks and secure top-notch hires.
Your Job Posts Aren’t Attracting Many Applications
In today’s job market, skilled workers are highly sought after. It can be difficult to spend the time you need to create highly calibrated, up-to-date job posts if your team has other projects to complete. It can be even more difficult to identify places to submit job posts, as candidate job search preferences change regularly.
Recruiters dedicated to talent acquisition can focus on creating job posts that successfully attract qualified candidates. Along with traditional networking groups, colleges, and community organizations, recruiters now utilize social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook to connect with potential candidates. Additionally, many recruiters use specialized job boards and applicant tracking systems that help them target specific industries or skill sets.
Your Turnaround Rate Is High
There are two reasons for turnaround: your team may realize that an employee isn’t a good fit for your business, or an employee may think your business isn’t a good fit for them. These problems can stem from a rushed hiring process. Ultimately, high turnaround rates result in high attrition costs.
RPO providers expertly choose candidates who are both qualified and a good fit for the company culture. Because they’re dedicated to talent acquisition, they have time to analyze and engage each candidate individually. They choose ideal candidates, reducing turnaround rates.
You Need to Maximize a Small to Medium-Sized Recruiting Budget
You have two options when your team needs help recruiting candidates. Either you hire a dedicated recruiter or work with an RPO provider. Hiring a full-time recruiter is costly. Personnel costs are astronomical, with benefits, bonuses, and other employee costs. Plus, there will be times when your recruiter’s services simply aren’t needed—especially if you’re a small to medium-sized business that isn’t constantly hiring.
Your business can hire an RPO provider right when you need to and put their services on hold when your team doesn’t need to hire anyone. With RPO, your business can have highly qualified recruiters on your side—without a full-time commitment.
Making a Decision About Recruitment Process Outsourcing
If you’ve checked many or all of the boxes above, it may be time to look into adding RPO to your recruitment operations. Specifically, RPO is the best bet for maintaining an outstanding team for a small to medium-sized business with a fast-growing, and agile workforce.
To take your recruitment process to the next level and find the best talent for your business, contact Lucas James Talent Partners today. Our RPO services can help you achieve your hiring goals and streamline your hiring process. Learn more by reaching out to us now.
This article was originally published on January 7, 2021; it has since been updated and republished on April 26, 2023.