In our disrupted new normal, many employers are turning to Recruitment Process Outsourcing to shore up their recruitment shortfalls.
But novel recruitment technology innovations, and the rising ubiquitousness of flexible Applicant Tracking Systems and Recruitment CRM software has made recruitment more efficient and recruitment services more scalable.
So can an RPO – that benchmark of recruitment efficiency and ROI – and your existing Recruitment Tech stack – the digital foundation of effective candidate and client hiring – work as one?
Can the two systems work together to improve hiring return and, crucially, can they compliment the other?
We thought we’d dive into this subject, as we feel the benefits of an RPO are only augmented by the savvy use of Applicant Tracking Systems, and vice versa. And, for companies making their first foray into hiring, RPOs can provide the context, training and implementation of a competitive and relevant ATS into your company, teaching you how to buy the right Applicant Tracking System for your firm.
What is Recruitment Process Outsourcing?
As per the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association, “Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is a form of business process outsourcing (BPO) where an employer transfers all or part of its recruitment processes to an external service provider”.
Why would companies choose to work with an RPO, as opposed to staffing agencies or relying on inhouse recruiters?
With recruitment processes, efficiencies and ROI under the microscope for many enterprises post-COVID, knowing how best to allocate recruitment budgets in such a high-pressure candidate market can be a challenge.
This is where trusting a well-positioned RPO partner can help to great effect, most importantly in four ways – scalability, specialism, brand awareness, and ATS integration
- Scalability: because of the flexible nature of RPO arrangements, RPO providers pride themselves on being able to fluidly adjust recruitment workforce requirements to demand. This means companies focused on rapid scaling, or who don’t have the resources to commit to hiring an inhouse recruiter, are guaranteed consistent, proven service to meet the needs of today and tomorrow.
- Brand awareness: because RPOs are ostensibly in control of the entire hiring process, they traditionally enmesh themselves in the brand to become a literal extension of the brand. As such, their employer brand advice, hiring activities, and employer brand control within candidate networks elevate your recruitment opportunities at the same time, while curating more brand “noise” in your candidate networks.
- Specialism: RPOs are often specialists in certain sectors, and as such, companies are not simply purchasing able bodied recruiters – they’re buying expertise, years of committed networking and referral networks, and thought leadership within their field, including in the field of tech, ATS software comparison, and purchasing.
- ATS Implementation: Where we feel the link between RPOs and recruitment technology makes itself most felt is in the implementation of tech, specifically effective, brand-focused Applicant Tracking Systems. Because RPOs are more than an agency, and because their services for all intents and purposes mimic that of inhouse recruiters, business owners can benefit from one unique RPO skill set – the rapid implementation of the right ATS into your Recruitment Tech stack, backed up by collaboration and training.
RPOs, Applicant Tracking Systems, and how Recruitment Tech underpins RPO services
RPOs will often utilise an applicant tracking system as part of their arrangement with a company. Employers can then benefit from both the wide networking and talent sourcing abilities of an RPO, and the efficiencies of an Applicant Tracking System through the following:
- Allowing the RPO lead to integrate a usable, scalable, effective applicant tracking system within a company, spreading the independent costs of an ATS into monthly or annual RPO package costs, and saving the hiring company an incredible amount of time they would have spent comparing Applicant Tracking Systems by conducting a thorough ATS market review.
- Thought leadership on the effectiveness of Recruitment Tech within any given speciality, highlighting the best ATS on the market for your sector and for your workflow, and providing guidance and mentoring on the best way to deploy ATS services within your market.
In summary, RPOs are good at what they do because they know the ins and outs of any given work sector and can provide objective thought leadership on the best applicant tracking system for your company.
A quick, responsive process is what you need to attract and engage the best talent.
At Rectec we help organisations to find the best Applicant Tracking System or best Recruitment CRM to suit your needs, accompanied by our unique complimentary tech marketplace, to help you build the perfect recruitment tech stack for your business.
You can click here to register for Rectec Compare – and best of all, it’s completely free of charge.