For many organisations, the prospect of outsourcing talent requirements can be daunting. In a previous post, we discussed how the ‘O’ in RPO can sometimes mislead employers to think they have to hand over all of their recruitment function to an external business.
In reality, RPO is a collective term that’s used for a range of solutions. While it can be utilised as a complete end-to-end, full-scale outsourcing of a recruitment function, it can also provide a flexible solution for specific talent acquisition challenges. In short, the value RPO brings depends on the challenges you’re facing to hire the talent you need.
In this post, we break down the different types of RPO to help you determine which option would most suit your organisation’s needs.
End-to-End RPO Recruitment
Perhaps the one that most businesses are familiar with, end-to-end RPO typically encompasses the entire recruitment lifecycle, from engagement, sourcing and screening to offer management and even onboarding, leaving internal talent teams to focus on other key initiatives.
End-to-end RPO doesn’t mean a third party picks up your talent function and takes it away to manage themselves. It actually sees the provider become a strategic partner, fully embedded in your culture and values to work as an extension of your organisation .
Who’s it for?
End-to-end RPO is suitable for businesses of all sizes and resourcing maturity. Organisations without the necessary internal recruitment expertise often decide to outsource as opposed to building their own internal TA team as it is more cost effective, scalable and quicker to have in place. Other organisations with internal TA teams may outsource recruitment within specific job families e.g. high volume, which allows their own team to then focus on talent acquisition across more specialist or niche job groups.
Project RPO Recruitment
Project RPO is used for a specific requirement – usually when a business needs to scale quickly or is undergoing a period of change, but doesn’t want to increase the size of its internal TA team. This could be due to a variety of reasons such as an organisation restructure, launch of a new product or service on the back of a contract win or the opening of a new division.
Project RPO can also be highly effective if you have a short-term or specialist recruitment need outside of the remit of your internal team such as seasonal hiring.
Despite project RPO having a set end date, providers will still integrate themselves into your team and the culture and values of the organisation.. They will take on your employer brand in all communications and ensure that all work complies with your existing processes and ways of working. .
Who’s it for?
Businesses that can struggle to scale internal TA resource quickly and need a partner they can trust to work alongside internal teams and represent them in the talent market.
On-demand RPO Recruitment
Ideal during peaks in recruitment activity when speed is critical, on-demand RPO provides businesses support with specific components of the recruitment process. This flexible solution allows you to tap into the skills you need quickly, without incurring risk to the business and ensuring a seamless candidate experience.
On-demand RPO can pick up any talent-related demand, whether that’s support with response handling, candidate screening, interviewing or assessment management.. Like all RPO solutions, on-demand RPO is agile and can be flexed up or down in line with your evolving requirements.
Who’s it for?
Businesses with a need for support in specific areas of the recruitment process that don’t want to expand their headcount and need to maintain the focus of internal TA teams on higher value activities
Managed Service Provider (MSP)
An MSP service is designed for businesses looking for support in the sourcing, engagement and administration of temporary, contract and other non-permanent workers. MSPs handle all responsibilities associated with these workers, including monitoring and reporting on spend, managing the supply chain, and ensuring end-to-end compliance across all processes.
Who’s it for?
Businesses looking for complete visibility and control of a contingent workforce and suppliers, including all temporary workers and any resources engaged under a Statement of Work (SOW).
Statement of Work (SOW)
A SOW is an outcome-based contract that defines the scope, objectives, timelines, deliverables and spend of a specific project, with providers helping to agree milestones, onboard the consultancies delivering the project and ensuring all documentation is accurate, compliant and auditable.
Who’s it for?
Businesses embarking on a project outside of day-to-day activities, which requires a team of external experts to deliver it within a set time frame and cost parameter.
RPO, or Recruitment Process Outsourcing, is a strategic approach to talent acquisition where organisations outsource some or all of their recruitment processes to an external provider.
In traditional hiring, organisations typically manage recruitment processes in-house, from sourcing candidates to onboarding. This often requires significant time, resources, and expertise from internal HR teams or hiring managers. However, traditional hiring methods can sometimes struggle to keep pace with changing talent demands, especially in industries facing skill shortages or rapid growth.
RPO offers a holistic and strategic approach to talent acquisition. RPO providers like Omni act as an extension of an organisations brand, assuming responsibility for recruitment activities such as candidate attraction, sourcing, screening, assessment, and even onboarding. By outsourcing these functions to specialised experts, organisations can benefit from industry knowledge, resources, and technology to give access to the best talent at pace.
One of the key differences between RPO and traditional hiring lies in the level of specialisation and scalability offered by recruitment RPO providers. RPO partners often have dedicated teams of recruiters who specialise in specific industries or skill sets, allowing them to access niche talent pools and identify high-quality candidates more efficiently. Additionally, RPO solutions are highly scalable, meaning they can quickly adapt to fluctuating hiring needs, whether it’s scaling up recruitment efforts during peak periods or adjusting to changing market conditions.
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) can significantly enhance your Talent Acquisition strategy by providing specialised expertise, scalability, and strategic partnership. Here’s how:
Specialised Expertise: RPO providers have dedicated teams of recruiters who specialise in various industries, roles, and skill sets. These experts possess in-depth knowledge of the labour market, industry trends, and sourcing techniques, allowing them to identify and attract high-quality candidates efficiently. By leveraging their specialised expertise, RPO partners, like Omni, can access niche talent pools and ensure high-quality people for your organisation.
Scalability: One of the key advantages of recruitment RPO is its scalability. RPO providers can quickly scale recruitment efforts up or down based on your organisation’s hiring needs. Whether you’re experiencing rapid growth, seasonal fluctuations, or project-based hiring spikes, RPO can adapt to accommodate your changing requirements. This flexibility ensures that you have the right resources in place to meet demand without overburdening your internal HR team or sacrificing recruitment quality.
Cost-Effectiveness: RPO recruitment can offer cost savings when compared to traditional hiring methods. While there may be an initial investment in outsourcing recruitment to an RPO partner, the long-term benefits often outweigh the costs. RPO can help reduce time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, and turnover rates, resulting in overall cost savings for your organisation.
Strategic Partnership: RPO goes beyond transactional recruiting by forging a strategic partnership between the RPO partner, like Omni, and your organisation. At Omni, we become an extension of your employer brand and we work closely to understand business objectives, culture, and talent requirements. This collaborative approach allows RPOs to tailor recruitment strategies that align with your organisation’s goals. By working as an extension of your HR team, RPO providers can provide valuable insights, leading practices, and innovative solutions to help achieve talent acquisition objectives.
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is a strategic approach to talent acquisition where organisations outsource some or all of their recruitment processes to an external provider, like Omni. The partner is known as the RPO provider and assumes responsibility for various aspects of the recruitment process, including candidate attraction, candidate sourcing, screening, assessments, interview coordination and onboarding.
Recruitment RPO is about leveraging specialised expertise, technology, and resources to streamline the recruitment process and improve hiring outcomes. Rather than relying solely on internal HR teams or traditional recruitment agencies, organisations partner with RPO providers to access a broader range of talent to enhance efficiency and drive better results.
The specific services offered by RPO providers can vary depending on the needs and preferences of the organisation. That’s the beauty of RPO. Some organisations may opt for end-to-end RPO, where the RPO provider manages the entire recruitment process from start to finish. Others may choose to outsource specific elements of the recruitment process, such as candidate sourcing or interview scheduling, while retaining other aspects.
There are several key advantages:
Access to Specialised Expertise: RPO providers have dedicated teams of recruiters who specialise in various industries, roles, and skill sets. This expertise allows them to identify and attract high-calibre talent more efficiently than internal HR teams or traditional recruitment agencies.
Scalability: RPO recruitment solutions are highly scalable, meaning they can quickly adapt to fluctuating hiring needs. Whether your organisation is experiencing rapid growth, seasonal fluctuations, or project-based hiring spikes, RPO can flexibly adjust to accommodate your changing requirements.
Cost Savings: RPO can offer cost savings compared to traditional hiring methods. By outsourcing recruitment processes to an external provider, organisations can reduce time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, and turnover rates, resulting in overall cost savings for the business.
Strategic Partnership: RPO recruitment goes beyond transactional recruiting by fostering a strategic partnership between the RPO provider and the organisation. At Omni, we work closely with our organisations to understand their organisation’s objectives, culture, and talent requirements, allowing us to tailor recruitment strategies that align with the organisation’s goals and values.
