Debunking 8 Myths About RPO Partnerships

When companies explore alternate ways of attracting talent, one model that often comes up is RPO (recruitment process outsourcing), which involves transferring all or part of the hiring process to an external source.

Here are some common RPO myths to debunk so your organization has all the information when evaluating its talent acquisition requirements.

Myth 1: RPO Limits Control and Transparency

Organisations outsourcing recruitment everywhere are seeing success, regardless of whether their RPO relationships are on-site or virtual. Although the recruitment outsourcing company as your ally may not be working with your internal team in the exact physical location, they will still be accountable to you. RPO partners must provide accurate and complete information about their performance with you to ensure they are responsible. RPO partners will handle the talent acquisition process, but hiring choices are still your responsibility.

Myth 2: RPO Is a Short-Term Trend

RPO has grown at a breakneck pace during the last two decades, and it’s only going to become more prominent. It has also developed to suit customers’ changing requirements, becoming more agile, tactical, and refined with each revision, demonstrating its long-term viability.

RPO companies addressed essential requirements for buyers around immediate and quantifiable advantages, including cost savings and operational efficiencies over the first phase, which witnessed significant development.  The substantial changes in RPO evolved the recruitment outsourcing firms to adopt a more comprehensive strategy that considered the more complex and granular cost and business effect considerations. Recruitment Outsourcing can now fulfil strategic value generation in a constantly changing environment.

Myth 3: RPO Is Ineffective in Hiring Top Executives

It may be challenging to sell the company’s advantages, corporate culture, and the job itself to top executives. While many people question whether an RPO model can effectively demonstrate this to prospective senior recruits, a well-implemented RPO solution may be more successful than an agency.

Once the recruiting business partners are entirely integrated into the organisation, they will better know the corporate culture and the advantages of working for the organization and will be based on selling your brand rather than marketing several businesses to a prospect. They may also establish a genuine collaborative connection with the HR/procurement department and the manager searching for a senior recruit. The team can sketch out what capabilities the company will need now and, in the future, if all three of these critical stakeholders collaborate throughout the process.

Myth 4: RPOs Have Little Emphasis on Quality

RPO partners monitor qualitative indicators like recruiting management satisfaction, quality of hire, and applicant experience instead of staffing agencies, which are purely transactional. Recruitment Process Outsourcing Companies also report on these indicators on a regular and consistent basis and have a proven record of assisting companies in achieving quality hiring objective satisfaction while lowering hiring expenses.

Myth 5: RPOs Are a Replacement For HR

HR departments, particularly smaller teams, often strive to keep their stakeholders satisfied due to a lack of personnel or time. When using the comprehensive approach, HR teams may devote excessive time to recruiting, making it challenging to sustain other critical job functions such as learning and human resources management.

Instead of competing with the HR department, the RPO model enables a dedicated hiring professional to operate alongside it, complementing its job. This arrangement frees up the HR team’s time to concentrate on other essential tasks.

An RPO model, when executed correctly with a specialized partner, may enhance the recruiting experience for both applicants and HR staff. An RPO extends your brand and culture to help you save money and provide you with a competitive edge.

Myth 6: RPO is Too Procedure and Administration Focused

While recruitment process outsourcing aims to improve the entire recruiting process, a winning strategy includes your company and the RPO supplier forming a strategic relationship. A competent RPO supplier would create an intelligent approach by evaluating each step of the recruiting process.

A dedicated recruitment outsourcing company as an arm of your talent management department may help you deploy personnel more efficiently and effectively than a traditional agency. Having a staff of professional recruiters, administrators, and consultants guarantees a seamless procedure and allow for unique, inventive recruiting strategies.

Myth 7: RPO is Very Costly

RPO services may not always be the most cost-effective option, but they may help in various ways. Reduced agency cost, shorter time-to-fill, and lower turnover are all possible savings from talent acquisition; overall, efficiency is improved.

Engaging in a talent acquisition relationship enhances your operational and financial health over time. Both parties have a strong interest in lowering overall recruiting expenses while improving hiring quality. This is virtually never the case with one-time, transactional solutions.

Myth 8: RPO Suppliers do Not Prioritise Candidate Experiences

Most prospects and hopefuls expect to hear from the organization – regardless of even if they’re not hired – only a tiny percentage are informed. To put it another way, they fall into the dreaded candidate black hole. Because businesses must think of applicants as customers, this harms both the employer and consumer brands.

Recruitment outsourcing firms are well aware of this, and candidate satisfaction is a principal focus in the relationship. Dedicated recruiting teams serve as a single point of contact for all applicants and manage the time between accepting an offer and the candidate’s first day on the job.

The Final Word

RPO agreements are entirely customisable, allowing for an infinite number of combinations. Your contract may represent your desire to ease into RPO practice. Another benefit of scalability is its capacity to grow. It may shift up or down depending on the situation.

Ultimately, recruiting firms should go past the widespread misconceptions and scary stories. Ask as many questions as you can, demand confirmation while evaluating RPO suppliers to streamline the process, anticipated requirements, and make dealing with a recruiting outsourcing company more straightforward than ever.

Originally published Oct 11, 2021 07:10:48, updated Dec 20 2024

Topics: Outsourced Staffing Services, Recruitment Process Outsourcing, staffing outsourcing