Five good reasons to get over your fear of recruitment outsourcing
Talk of outsourcing can strike fear into the heart of any employee. The word
conjures up notions of pink slips, packing boxes, and job hunting - not to mention
big call centers in far-away countries. But companies have to face the reality
that some tasks on their big to-do list just aren't core functions of the business.
So why not focus on what the company does best, and let experts handle the other
stuff?
IT has been the most popular, most natural choice for outsourcing, but more
and more businesses are turning to outside experts for their recruitment function
as well. And with increasing evidence detailing the very real, quantifiable
benefits of recruitment process outsourcing, the value is hard to ignore for
leaders considering the move to RPO.
Understandably, that trend is a source of real fear for HR professionals who
worry that RPO will leave them with an ineffective recruiting process that is
out of control or unable to uphold and carry the company's culture. But for
progressive HR leaders who've already tackled their RPO fears, the opposite
is true. In fact, when done right, a good RPO should save the HR department
time, money, headaches, busy work- and actually help them prove their strategic
business value to the company.
Still scared? Here are five good reasons for HR leaders to get over their fear
of RPO:
1. Get more stuff done!
Especially for an HR team that already has too much on its plate, RPO can serve
as a highly specialized support network to share the load. In fact, one of the
main reasons that RPO has gained popularity in the last decade is the simple
fact that most HR departments have more work than they know what to do with.
An overburdened HR group struggles to meet the increasing demands of today's
human resource management needs, not to mention the daily work of hiring, talent
development, performance assessments, and succession planning.
Larger FORTUNE 500 companies are hiring talent acquisition directors to meet
these needs, often with a blended or hybrid model mixing internal recruitment
teams with RPOs. But for others without vast internal resources, RPO partnering
directly with HR can be a very competitive solution. That's because RPOs, as
true recruiting experts, can take the recruiting tasks right off that HR team's
full plate. No matter how many positions need to be filled, the RPO uses a powerful
toolbox of recruiting processes, specialized knowledge and a wealth of cutting-edge
technology to find not just more candidates but better candidates. RPO brings
an entire network of people and resources working together to find the best
match for each position.
2. Get smart by tapping into the highly-specialized knowledge of true
recruiting experts
The RPO's highly specialized network means they can provide tremendous economies
of scale. Companies don't need to invest in a seemingly ever growing list of
job-posting resources, resume databases, Web 2.0 recruitment tools, testing
and screening tools and expensive high-tech tracking system that they'll need
to evaluate and maintain year after year. They can simply "rent" it
from an RPO.
It's more than tools, though. RPOs, thanks to their intense study of hiring
trends, practices and real-world case studies, bring expert knowledge of effective
and efficient recruitment resources. Because this is all they do, RPOs can commit
serious time to researching what works and what doesn't. This time commitment
is a luxury most HR pros just don't have.
3. Find good answers to tough questions about budgets and hiring costs
Cost reduction is a major reason companies look to outsource non-core jobs in
their company. Recruitment outsourcing often is no different - but what makes
recruitment outsourcing unique is its outsourcing of a non-transactional function.
Because of this, getting savings and results requires some patience and vision.
Why is that? Hiring by traditional means, with an HR staff, means that many expenses get buried-in overhead allocations, technology investments, etc. It's difficult to tell exactly what is being spent on hiring alone. When companies choose to outsource, however, they're forced to go through the due diligence needed for this change and, along the way, they start to uncover all the ways in which hiring costs them money.
An RPO uncovers those hidden costs, and then offsets many of them through
economies of scale, reduced hiring cycles or fewer fees paid to staffing agencies
and recruiters. Regardless of how much money an RPO saves the company, the process
itself gives the business a much clearer understanding of the true cost of recruiting.
That transparency is especially valuable in a tight economy, when every team's
budget gets scrutinized more closely. HR leaders, just like everyone else, have
to be able to justify their decisions, budgets and practices. They have to give
their leaders real, usable numbers. And they have to be ready with good answers
to tough questions. Without real data, good answers are hard to come by.
4. Make yourself a strategic partner
So, while it's natural to fear that an RPO might expose HR's recruiting practices
as weak or ineffective - it can actually greatly improve the department's visibility.
Think about it: an HR team that partners with a highly specialized expert to
successfully execute the all-important task of hiring top talent is likely to
appear progressive, strategic and just plain smart.
And if you tap into the RPO's employer-branding capabilities, you're making
another strategic move. By infusing your company's culture and image into your
recruiting efforts, you're doing a lot more than just filling positions. You're
cultivating a relationship. RPO has the time and resources to "ABR"
(always be recruiting) and driving your employer branding.
The stronger your employer brand, the more candidates are drawn to the company.
Recruiting comes more easily when the candidates know who you are and what you're
about. As a result, you're likely to get applicants that are already in tune
with your company culture. In other words, they're a good fit.
5. Increase your value and visibility
If your RPO partnership helps you accomplish these things, the HR department
is suddenly much more visible - and considerably more valuable, especially to
stakeholders. Furthermore, if that partnership also means that HR has more time
to devote to increasingly crucial tasks like talent management and succession
planning, executives will be forced to sit up and take notice.
The RPO partnership has the power to transform HR for the better. Thanks to the tangible advantages it offers, what was once seen as the cost center of the company is quickly becoming a highly valuable, strategic team with the power to impact the bottom line.
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By: Matt Schreyer, President Instigate, Inc.
About Instigate
Founded in 1999, Instigate is a Minnesota based company focused on providing
impactful recruitment management solutions for our valued clients. The principles
at Instigate have over 30 years of combined experience in human capital management.
Instigate combines practical and valid recruitment solutions with today's cutting-edge
talent management technology to provide unique, cost effective, results-driven
solutions. For more information call us at 1-800-259-9865 or visit us on the
web at www.instigateinc.com