Industries That Typically Haven’t Used RPOs Are Seeing the Need to Do So

Recruitment Process Outsourcing has taken hold in the 21st century as a way for companies to outsource aspects of their recruiting and hiring on an as-needed basis, as well as have an outside company handle their end-to-end recruiting needs in some cases.

As the economy and hiring have continued to go through rapid change during the pandemic and as the crisis begins to recede, companies are having a harder time than ever finding the talent they need when they need it. Having the professional help and expertise of an RPO company has helped some industries be able to staff appropriately when it had been nearly impossible for them to do so. 

Looking at broad categories, there has been rapid growth in the use of RPOs among small to mid-sized businesses (SMEs), which had typically handled their hiring in-house because of budgetary constraints. Particularly attractive to SMEs is the fact that RPOs can provide only the particular services needed, and that they can scale up or down to handle variable or seasonal hiring needs.

Another category that is increasingly using RPOs is Greenfield projects, which are brand new builds of infrastructure, software, etc., that don’t need to integrate with existing projects.  

Expanding Use of RPOs 

Industries increasing their use of RPOs include the healthcare sector, manufacturing, and customer service. These industries have been hard hit by labor shortages and have found that they can staff more quickly and with less cost by using RPOs. 

One advantage to today’s RPOs is that they use the latest AI and automation tools to source candidates. AI candidate sourcing uses bots to solicit applications, sort them, and answer questions about the position. It is much faster than traditional recruiting methods and gets people into positions in about half the time. 

In addition, RPOs can handle virtual hiring processes that have often been required during COVID-19. 

Like staffing agencies, RPOs often have their own talent pools to draw from and can save companies the expense of building one. Unlike staffing agencies, however, RPOs are dedicated to your company rather than working to staff a number of different companies at once.

RPOs Are Dedicated to You

Why does this matter? It’s the difference between presenting a potential recruit with your position along with several others from other companies and just presenting yours. 

You can see the difference this could make in filling positions quickly and with the best possible talent. Some RPOs even offer a replacement at their expense if someone they place in a position quits quickly. 

One thing RPOs cannot do, however, is change an organization’s culture. If your company has tried to use an RPO in the past and it has not seemed successful, it could be the culture that is to blame.