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#5 are you ready to expand your RPO program? | RPO series.

deliver real impact on the business.

deliver real impact on the business

Many companies turn to recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) to fill key gaps in their hiring practices. For example, employers often seek outside expertise to add staff quickly for a new project or product launch, or bring on external recruiters that can extend the company’s reach to new talent. More often than not, these engagements open talent leaders’ eyes to the benefits of outsourcing the recruitment function, leading to more comprehensive RPO programs that grow in scope of service, geography or number of business units.

Employers also seek to expand their RPO programs when they recognize the value of the providers’ expertise on all aspects of talent strategy, ranging from employer branding and talent engagement to HR technology implementation, talent analytics and workforce planning. Beyond helping to fill positions, RPO providers have evolved to work closely with their clients to deliver real impact on the business and its most important priorities.

In what ways can an RPO program be expanded to drive even more positive results? Consider the following ways businesses often deepen engagement with their RPO provider:

broadening the service scope.

A great number of RPO programs begin with simple source and screen services – the heavy lifting portion of the recruitment cycle – however, it is common for these engagements to expand to other services within the cycle, including talent assessment, offer management, onboarding and even career transition services.

Widening the service scope to these areas can enable greater continuity, accountability and measureable business impact.

greater geographical reach.

With more companies seeking to take a global approach to talent acquisition, a successful RPO program in one region can be replicated and localized to other locations. It’s not uncommon for an organization to expand the program into a multi-country RPO (MCRPO) engagement. Using a single RPO provider across global operations ensures a centralized and consistent approach, while reducing the complexity of working with multiple agencies.

A global RPO strategy enhances economies of scale, global talent mobility and management, and the global sharing of best practices and innovation. An RPO provider with global scope can provide market intelligence on talent availability in new areas for expansion and advise on supply and demand across different growth markets.

adding business lines and roles.

A common way to expand an RPO program is to use the existing model for additional positions; this is especially easy given the employer already has a proven approach for adoption. It is also likely that many of the same team members will be involved as these new roles or business lines are added to the program scope.

What may differ are the service level agreements (SLAs) mandated and whether additional stakeholders need to be involved in planning, rollout and tracking ongoing success.

capturing additional value.

Employers who leverage an RPO program – and continue to renew it each year – typically look for ways to achieve even greater value from the engagement. According to Everest Group’s RPO Annual Report 2016, the larger RPO market is focused on emerging expectations about what else can be delivered through these solutions. For instance, a growing number of buyers rely on RPO providers for expertise about, and strategic management of, components of their talent management plans.

This includes value-added services that result in new efficiencies and improved quality of hire, such as: diversity and inclusion strategies, talent community management, advanced talent analytics, workforce planning, process reengineering and more. An RPO partner can also provide employer branding services, a crucial aspect of any talent strategy to ensure the company attracts the candidates it needs to achieve growth goals.

gaining true talent innovation expertise.

As workforce needs continue to evolve, and the competitive landscape broadens across sectors and geographies, the ability to stay on top of the rapidly changing HR technology landscape and how these solutions can enhance the talent acquisition process is crucial. From emerging artificial intelligence (AI) tools, to sourcing, video interviewing, applicant tracking systems (ATS), candidate relationship management (CRM), assessments and more, it is often difficult for employers to keep up with the latest and greatest solutions — as well as vet those technologies — to understand which will help them gain a competitive edge.

Instead, they turn to RPO providers for expertise on which technologies can make the greatest positive impact at the organization now. More importantly, talent leaders and their providers also work together to provide the data and insight needed for future planning.

an integrated talent solution.

Recognizing that the right person for a job may be a permanent employee, freelancer or contract worker, employers are breaking down traditional talent silos and evolving their RPO or managed services programs (MSP) into integrated talent solutions. Providing a more holistic and flexible approach to talent strategy, an integrated talent model considers the workforce as a whole, and the solution provider uses a combination of technology and human intelligence to develop strategy and manage the entire range of talent acquisition activity.

Services often include workforce planning, supply chain management, employer branding, sourcing, talent assessment, hiring processes, reporting and onboarding. With an integrated talent solution in place, the business benefits from a consistent, yet agile, high-touch program that is customized to the company’s culture, industry and geographical footprint.

talent challenges drive RPO innovation.

As businesses around the world strive to find the talent they need to be successful, RPO providers have risen to the challenge. More than just connecting companies to qualified candidates, RPO partners now offer a range of services to drive additional value and continually improve their clients’ recruiting practices.

If you're considering expanding your current RPO program, the benefits are numerous and the value is measurable. Whatever your evolving talent and business needs may be, the highly responsive nature of the RPO industry ensures there will be a solution.

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