Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) FAQs

What is RPO?

In simple terms, RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) is where an employer transfers all or part of its recruitment processes to an external service provider.

Is RPO just for big companies?

When RPO first originated it was popular with large organisations and followed a specific structure. This usually consisted of external recruiters working onsite and Being a member of the organisation, rather than the provider. However, since inception RPO has changed and although this traditional method is still used, RPO has now become flexible and scalable making it a viable option for smaller organisations as well as larger high-fliers.

Experiencing a large period of growth? Regardless of your current size, with an RPO solution you have the option to scale up and down in line with your current recruitment needs.

Will an RPO save me money?

RPO has been proven to reduce overall recruitment costs through faster time to hire, increase in the quality of the candidate pool and a decrease in staff turnover. By using an RPO you save money on advertising and job board fees, initial screening stages and administrative support. Not only that, you will gain valuable insights into how your brand is perceived externally, salary benchmarking and how you can streamline processes internally.

Will I have any say in how the RPO is run?

A well thought out RPO solution always starts with forming a partnership between the client and provider. How much of your recruitment is outsourced is completely down to you. You may decide that you want to outsource all recruitment, or just have specific functions (eg. Sales or Tech) outsourced. But outsourcing these responsibilities does not mean you’ll lose control. In fact, you’re more likely to have more control over them as they will be clearly defined at the start, along with agreed metrics, analytics and results.

How will I know if the RPO is going well?

As well as having a dedicated point of contact who can advise on how things are going, RPO providers also track every stage of the process allowing them to collate real time analytics. These detailed insights can quickly give you an overview of how the campaign is going and the ability to make measured decisions if (and when) needs be.

Do I need to sign up for a certain amount of time?

The length of time you have an RPO for is determined by your company needs. It can be a successful long-term solution but alternatively it can work with shorter, one-time recruitment campaigns to ramp up hiring and fill vacancies quickly. An RPO is a highly specialised process which can flex to meet your needs, however long or short they may be.

Find out more about our flexible RPO solution, Talentmode. A new way of thinking about RPO.

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