The notion of outsourcing recruiting can seem ludicrous; particularly for those organizations with a number of in-house recruiters and talent acquisition professionals. However, as the labor market tightens and candidate expectations grow more demanding, many organizations are beginning to realize that yes, they can do it all, but that doesn't mean that they should.
When I see an article of clothing that claims to be “one-size-fits-all”, my normal reaction is to look the other way. The idea of a one-size-fits-all item that offers an appealing fit and high quality seems too good to be true. And, chances are, it is. Whether it's your favorite product, like that piece of clothing, or a service you've come to rely on, it's your favorite because it fits your needs, expectations, and budget at that moment in time.
As a talent acquisition professional, when looking at staffing providers to assist in periods of high-volume or niche hiring, you have choices. Like in the clothing example above, you can select a one-size-fits-all solution, or you can create a custom recruiting program for less than you think.
Project-Based Approach to Outsourcing Recruiting
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) can provide a soup to nuts workforce solution for your organization's recruitment needs. However, you might not be in the market for a full-scale solution, or you may not have the budget allocated. Many organizations do not realize that RPO can supplement aspects of the recruiting process while easily integrating into your existing recruiting efforts.
The following examples provide unique use cases for a project-based approach to outsourcing recruiting through Recruitment Process Outsourcing companies. It's important to note that for the sake of this blog, I've purposefully generalized the use cases. Keep in mind, every organization has a different recruiting need, talent acquisition department, budget, and primary and secondary goals. If you are considering or even weighing out the benefits of outsourcing part or all of your recruiting process, the best piece of advice I can recommend is to connect with an RPO expert.
Use Case No. 1: Lack of Recruiting Resources
If you work at a small to medium-sized organization, chances are you don't have the budget for a full-blown employment branding strategy, ATS (with all of the bells and whistles), or advertising budget to promote all of your open positions. Additionally, your talent acquisition department may lack the structure needed to maintain certain procedures and operations to support recruiting efforts; such as standardized job descriptions, streamlined application processes, and so on.
In this case, it might be beneficial to bring on an RPO provider who can either work in a consultative role, streamlining your recruiting efforts, or to leverage the spend typically associated with RPO. For example, while your company might not have the budget to advertise on numerous job boards, RPO companies will leverage their budget to provide discounted advertising rates to clients.
Use Case No. 2: Recruiters are Bogged Down
Regardless of the size of the organization, there are certain aspects of the recruiting process that might be lacking. Let's say as a talent acquisition leader of your organization, you recognize that your high-performing recruiters are spending too much time on administrative tasks. To remedy this issue, you can bring on a dedicated team of outsourced RPO recruiters to assist with various pieces of the recruiting process. This can range from sourcing qualified candidates, to scheduling interviews, and even on-boarding new hires.
Use Case No. 3: Sudden or Rapid Growth
Perhaps you are working for a company that is expanding quickly. RPO programs provide scalable workforce solutions to accommodate for this sudden growth and larger recruitment needs; all while ensuring candidate quality and time-to-hire is not negatively impacted. As an added bonus to this approach, this approach will free up time for internal HR resources or recruiters to focus on strategic planning to further develop the company.
Whatever the company’s situation or size may be, a key element to success in utilizing an RPO is to identify the current challenges of the current recruitment practice, determine the recruitment and staffing needs and goals of the organization, and recognize what RPO services will be just the right fit for the company. So, remember you can take the easy route out and buy the one-size-fits-all shirt, or you can take the time to shop, know your measurements, and tailor the shirt so it’s the perfect fit.
About the Author: Jessica Giglio is a human resources professional with 4 years of experience in staffing, recruiting, hiring practices, policy and procedure development, and project management. She currently serves as a Staffing Specialist for a Yoh client based in Selkirk, NY. She started her career in a corporate HR role before making the transition to RPO. She holds a B.S. in Human Resources Management from Bryant University, and currently resides in Albany, NY.
