RPO is about solving critical business challenges and hence prioritizing the issues faced by HR becomes paramount. In our article on challenges faced by HR in the recruitment process, we looked at various challenges and pitfalls HR faces on a daily basis by assessing the current situation based on a holistic view of both - internal processes and external forces.

From the perspective of the challenges discussed, we will look at how RPO impacts each of the challenges:

Scalability of an RPO solution:

RPO solutions can quickly scale up or down to meet long-term talent acquisition plans and new project requirements or on-demand hiring depending on the organisation's needs.

Access to talent:

RPO proactively creates a talent pipeline consisting of active and passive candidates through candidate mapping, social media, and other brand outreach programs that cannot be built through traditional recruiting methods. Successful RPO models provide value adds like incorporating employer branding initiatives to narrow down the candidate selection criteria and ensure the right job-boss-company fit. This model not only selects talent based on job descriptions but appeals to the culture and working environment of the organization to recruit the right candidates, improve hiring manager satisfaction levels, and reduce attrition.

Cost control in an RPO engagement:

There are three key benefits of engaging with an RPO partner: Since RPO providers operate in a competitive environment and the accountability entirely rests on them, there is constant pressure to deliver more value at optimal cost. Long-term investment in the vendor's operating models is shared across their entire client base rather than on a single client. Cost is more variable than fixed, resulting in greater visibility, control, and business alignment.

Process efficiency of an RPO engagement:

An RPO provider adopts a holistic approach to designing and implementing effective recruitment processes in a centralized, consistent way. By getting involved in the entire process right from workforce planning to onboarding and candidate support, RPO helps centralize the recruitment process thus standardizing best practices, managing compliance issues, and minimizing risk. Along with cost savings, RPO streamlines the recruitment process, enabling hiring managers to source and hire specialized talent and reduce the time-per-hire.

Visibility and measurability of an RPO engagement:

External agencies can easily provide the necessary recruitment metrics for which they are accountable. However it can be a challenge to link hiring metrics and analyze the performance of multiple agencies and internal teams to provide a 'big picture' to the management. Moreover metrics related to candidate satisfaction, cost efficiencies, and the talent pipeline would be hard to decipher.

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about the author
yashab giri new
yashab giri new

yeshab giri

chief commercial officer - staffing & RT professionals

yeshab is responsible for leading the development and expansion of randstad India’s value added staffing services which currently encompass field force, engineering and technology roles.