Recruitment outsourcing: Ten challenges RPO can solve

An organisation’s growth and success are undoubtedly dependent on the quality of its manpower. However, it is not easy for an organisation to independently find the best talent at the right time every time. By partnering with an appropriate Resource Process Outsourcing (RPO) provider, talent acquisition teams can cut through barriers, stand out from the competition and keep up with innovation in the industry.

The recruitment market today is candidate-driven and the competition for top talent is fierce. Standard methods of filling roles quickly are no longer foolproof. Candidates are highly selective and changing employers is quite passé. Organisations must make an effort to stand out and offer candidates a compelling recruitment and onboarding experience in order to find the best talent and retain them.

RPO providers work in partnership with the talent acquisition teams of organisations to help them meet their staffing needs. Depending on client needs, RPO providers can manage the entire recruitment process or provide suitable talent for specific projects. They not only own extensive talent databases but progressive RPO providers also take advantage of sophisticated techniques and analytical tools to help organisations solve their talent sourcing challenges.

Here is a list of challenges that an RPO provider can solve:

1. Reducing time to hire: The longer a position remains vacant, the higher the loss to the organisation. Further, extended recruitment processes also mean economic losses and higher chances of losing candidates. Candidates are eager to join at the beginning of the recruitment process, but if the processes take long, the interest of candidates will go down. 

RPO providers can guide hiring managers to be proactive and prepare for recruiting before the actual need arises and, thereby, speed up the final recruiting process. RPO providers can also create excitement on online job boards by announcing future opportunities in client organisations. Such announcements show growth and trigger interest in the right circles. Hiring times can be reduced by implementing such pre-recruitment steps. 

2. Scaling up or down as per requirements: An organisation’s recruitment strategies must be designed to keep up with its rapidly changing needs. Talent needs can change month-to-month or even weekly, depending on projects that the organisation is working on. Such a challenge is not very easy for internal teams to manage at the speed often desired. Underused resources at times of lower demand is another costly challenge to manage. 

RPO partners can be ready to meet both the peaks and troughs of resource needs. They can use their expertise to scale back when needs decline and quickly scale up when demands increase. RPO partners work closely with an organisation’s recruitment and management teams to evaluate the bigger picture objectively and develop effective talent acquisition strategies so that future talent needs can be met seamlessly, whether high or low. 

3. Maintaining a consistent recruitment process: A long and tedious recruitment process can drive away candidates, either to competitive organisations or to feelings of frustration. A partnership with an RPO provider can help ensure that a consistent and well-outlined recruiting process is set up across the whole organisation so that all personnel involved with hiring will follow a standard procedure from sourcing to onboarding. By implementing such a process, hiring decisions can be quicker and more efficient. RPO providers can help organisations implement and maintain agile and impactful recruitment strategies. 

4. Accessing a large talent pool and finding niche skill sets: Just as employee priorities have changed, many organisations have realigned their business plans to take advantage of the changing business landscape in the last two years. In some cases, the move to other business sectors or relocation of operations has necessitated the need for new skill sets. Such a situation cannot be managed successfully by the existing recruitment teams and organisations must seek help from RPO providers. 

RPO providers have a large visibility of the talent landscape. They have large databases, including access to candidates who may not be actively looking for new opportunities but who fit the organisation’s needs. They would also have access to candidates with niche skills from other industries and locations. Given their experience in designing strategies to attract top talent for specialist roles, as well as for volume hiring, an RPO partner can help an organisation navigate through such recruitment complexities.

RPO providers also take care of vetting prospective candidates to ensure that they are as good as they look on paper. This is a critical challenge that recruitment teams have to deal with.

5. Improving processes continuously by tracking and analysing recruitment data: RPO providers track, analyse and draw conclusions at various stages of the recruiting process. A continuous watch on areas that trigger success and those that need improvement helps organisations improve their processes continuously. Time to hire, cost savings, days to slate and hiring manager satisfaction are four key metrics that are indicative of success. However, capturing and interpreting recruitment data is not easy and without proper analysis, drawing actionable insights is impossible.

RPO providers specialise in gathering, analysing and interpreting recruitment data. They can draw meaningful insights from the data and help organisations remain competitive and efficient. They can identify gaps in recruitment practices and outline improvement plans.

Further, RPO providers stay updated with the latest in recruitment technology, training programmes and innovative talent acquisition trends. Given their experience and expertise, RPO partners can help their clients continuously improve and innovate their recruitment processes. Most organisations may not have the equivalent knowledge or skills in-house. 

6. Implementing technology effectively: There have been tremendous technological advancements in the HR industry and all recruitment teams use one product or the other. However, given the sheer number of products and solutions available, it requires a certain amount of expertise to procure the most suitable solution and use it effectively. The right recruitment partner will present the most suitable solutions for recruitment marketing, sourcing, automation and analysis to its clients. Sound RPO partners have the resources, the experience and the expertise to help organisations make the best decisions about implementing new technologies.

7. Building a sound employer brand: A key to attracting top talent and retaining them is to develop a sustainable brand strategy. RPO providers can play a critical role in shaping the brand as an employer. They can tailor the recruitment strategy of the organisation to match its vision, brand and competitors. The employer brand will be effectively represented throughout the recruitment process. In fact, RPO providers can act as brand ambassadors and enhance the perception of the organisation in the market.

8. Reducing recruitment costs: The pressure from management to keep recruitment costs low while acquiring high-quality talent often pushes recruitment teams into a corner. The ideal RPO provider can help manage this challenge. It will look at the complete picture and determine how vacant positions are affecting the organisation’s bottom line. It will then recommend strategies, processes and technologies to enable the recruitment team to deliver results with higher efficiency and lower costs.

9. Reducing employee attrition rates: To maintain a competitive edge, an organisation must retain its talent. When employees leave an organisation, they take with them critical knowledge and skill sets that cannot be replaced immediately, leading to an impact on productivity. An increasing attrition rate often indicates employee management issues that need to be addressed quickly to prevent further attrition. Two common reasons for employees leaving are non-competitive remuneration and poor team fit. There could be many other reasons too. The key is to identify them early.

RPO providers usually understand what drives candidates in every market and can help organisations develop sound recruitment and onboarding processes to manage or prevent attrition. They can advise recruitment teams about compensation and benefits that can help the organisation remain competitive in real time. Closing the attrition gap in the first 90 days of employment is a challenge many organisations struggle with, and the right RPO partner can help bridge this gap effectively.

10. Incorporating DEI practices: In today’s business landscape, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are critical objectives for organisations that seek to acquire top talent and retain them. Fair and equal employment opportunities must be a part of the organisation’s culture to attain growth and success. Recent studies and surveys have repeatedly shown that a majority of employees today prefer to work in organisations that include DEI as a workplace culture. Implementing such a commitment requires time and some expertise too. An RPO partner, who best understands an organisation’s needs, can guide it to promote diversity while recruiting. Using the right tools and techniques such as diversity job boards, digital campaigns targetted at underrepresented groups (URGs), market mapping and referrals, an RPO provider can help the organisation implement a recruitment strategy that incorporates DEI practices.

Clearly, finding the right talent is a critical and challenging aspect of all organisations. Collaborating with a suitable RPO provider can help organisations have better control over the process. To achieve success, an organisation must partner with an RPO provider that understands the industry and market that the organisation functions in, the recruitment trends and the challenges involved in aligning with those trends. 

Careernet’s RPO service integrates the entire recruitment process. It helps clients source the appropriate manpower resources, develop a sturdy hiring strategy and optimise the talent supply chain. Careernet’s RPO services are scalable and integrated across various business verticals. Its experience as an RPO provider for over 15 years proves its expertise and understanding of global recruitment trends. Careernet offers enterprise RPO, project-based RPO and resource-based RPO services.

Write to us at sales@careernet.in for a demo.

1. 1. https://careernet.in/blog/12-rpo-trends-to-look-out-for-in-2022/
   2. https://www.coitgroup.com/blog/talent-acquisition-challenges-where-rpo-can-help/ 
   3. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/recruiting-challenges-rpo-solution-sahil-dhamija/?trk=articles_directory 
   4. https://www.q2hrsolutions.com/resources/5-business-challenges-an-rpo-can-help-you-solve
   5. https://www.resourcesolutions.com/thought-leadership/recruitment/five-recruitment-problems-that-can-be-solved-by-an-rpo-specialist.html