Should You Consider an RPO? Part 1

Entering in to an RPO arrangement is not a decision to be made lightly; a client-supplier relationship of this kind is demanding, and requires a great amount of time and dedication from all involved parties to ensure success. This is the first in a series of blog articles written by Thread Consulting Director Ashley Steinhausen which examines the factors that can impact the suitability and sustainability of partnering with an outsourced recruitment supplier.

The Groundwork

Long before you decide to move forward with an RPO program, collaborate with your stakeholder groups to fully define why you are considering a change to your recruiting program and what you want to accomplish. Before deciding on the RPO route, you need to answer these key questions:

1. Can you achieve your goals with your existing team and processes?

2. Can you upskill and modify instead of seeking an external provider?

3. Do you need the support of subject matter experts to support the initiative?

The goals could include all, or some of, the following:

• Efficiency e.g. not JUST Time To Hire, but time from sign off to hire to becoming productive
• Cost savings e.g. reducing spending on agency fees through internal efficiencies
• Flexibility e.g. being able to scale up or down according to seasonal and business demands
• Innovation e.g. being able to utilize advanced technologies or gaining a better understanding of best practice
• Higher quality of candidates e.g. tapping into a wider talent pool
• Better control of the outcomes e.g. setting meaningful SLA’s and monitoring them
• Competitive edge e.g. being able to hire faster and more efficiently than competitors

Also, take into consideration the appropriate scope for your decision. Specifically what functions, skills and locations will benefit from the objectives of this change?

If the decision is that you cannot meet these goals internally, then you will need to prepare for evaluating the RPO providers in your market. However, even before going out to market, there are internal preparations you will need to make. We will explore these preparations in the next blog instalment.