When first speaking with clients, we review which channels they are using to promote their open positions. Often, our sourcing methodology will include the exact same channels. So why if we are using the same channels, are we as an RPO provider able to yield better results?
As part of a Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) program, providers are solely focused on the design and implementation of highly effective sourcing and engagement strategies. In turn, this can help organizations optimize candidate sourcing within and beyond traditional channels like online job boards and social media marketing. This can not only give businesses a competitive edge when it comes to attracting candidates, but it can also significantly improve quality of hire. This article reviews some of the ways in which partnering with an RPO can maximize your sourcing channels.
In addition to crafting expertly-written job descriptions to be shared on job boards and social media, RPO providers have access to wide talent networks from which they can leverage industry contacts and referrals to discover qualified candidates, as well as maximize exposure of your organization and company brand.
Leading RPO programs will adopt a highly proactive approach to candidate sourcing. When scoping out the talent landscape, RPO providers will conduct an in-depth analysis of the candidate market to focus the search on top candidates. The RPO provider will then draw up a market map to identify candidates who best match the required skillset, geographic range, industry, salary range, and so on. As part of conducting market research, an RPO partner will also provide competitor insights, including detailed information on your competitors’ talent; targeting passive candidates in competing businesses is particularly useful to organizations that are hiring for senior roles.
Leading RPO consultants will go above and beyond to understand your organization’s mission and values. They will also conduct a comprehensive assessment your existing brand strategy and Employer Value Proposition (EVP). In many cases, your RPO partner will execute a plan for improving your brand. RPO providers have many techniques for leveraging an EVP to increase your organization’s visibility in the job market. For example, when they initiate conversations with potential candidates, they can align your EVP with the values and goals of prospective candidates. Moreover, an RPO can strengthen your employee brand and reputation by sharing your employee resource groups, hiring initiatives, and other positive information with the talent marketplace.
RPO providers are skilled at initiating relationships and maintaining regular communication with potential candidates long before the recruitment process begins. They have vast experience navigating the talent market and know how to align each candidate’s specialties and unique career interests to your industry and organization. RPO service providers also know how to tactfully inform candidates of non-selection and to keep them interested in any future opportunities that your organization may have to offer. These efforts will go a long way in improving candidate experience and engagement.
Filling the hiring pipeline with candidates is only part of the process. If your organization is attracting many applicants, yet few with the necessary skillset for a given role, this won’t benefit quality of hire down the line. In fact, it may decrease quality of hire by introducing underqualified candidates into your organization’s recruitment cycle. Partnering with an RPO ensures that you will be supplied with highly qualified candidates from the start of the recruitment process. At the very beginning of the partnership, an RPO provider *should work with you to understand your business goals and outline all hiring requirements, including what skills to look for in a candidate. Then, they will carefully plan their sourcing methods with your needs and objectives in mind. When creating candidate slates to present to your hiring manager, leading RPO providers will conduct thorough audits of candidates to ensure they meet the skill-requirements of each open role. This will leave your organization with a selection of top candidates to interview. In turn, this can greatly benefit quality of hire.
Say a public relations firm is looking to hire a web developer to improve their company website but aren’t sure what skills to look for in an applicant or how to accurately test those skills. RPO providers have access to candidates in various industries through diverse candidate networks and extensive databases. In this way, an RPO program can deliver candidates for complex or non-traditional roles that don’t align with your team’s core skill set.
In cases where attracting diverse candidates is a leading priority, an RPO partner can help you draw in more candidates from underrepresented groups. As part of their branding services, RPO consultants can highlight your commitment to D&I initiatives (if any), as well as position your company’s messaging to appeal to more diverse candidates. Additionally, RPO providers can leverage their networks to foster partnerships with diversity-focused organizations. RPO providers will optimize advanced candidate databases and an up-to-date tech stack to conduct unbiased searches, enabling them to source candidates from a wide range of backgrounds. Lastly, leading RPO consultants will regularly track your organization's diversity metrics before and after the implementation of an RPO program. These metrics will help your RPO partner keep track of (1) how many diverse candidates have entered the recruitment cycle, (2) the turnover rate of diversity hires, (3) diverse candidates’ satisfaction rates, and (4) hiring manager satisfaction rates with each diverse hire. These metrics will help you and your RPO partner measure the success of an RPO program in both sourcing and engaging diverse candidates, as well as highlight any areas for improvement in your D&I sourcing strategy.
RPO service providers are known to apply numerous tech tools to their sourcing methodology. Many will leverage a wide variety of platforms to post and promote job vacancies—such as LinkedIn, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), industry-specific career platforms, and more. When searching for candidates, RPO consultants may utilize their own internal candidate databases, AI search engines, online marketplaces, and other platforms that offer built-in filters and tags to conduct Boolean searches. When conducting candidate outreach and responding to applicants, some RPO service providers use email add-ons and AI communications tools to track candidate interest in a position and streamline candidate follow-up. Partnering with an RPO provider will give your organization immediate access to an abundant technology stack, with the added benefit of RPO recruiters having years of experience and expertise with the included tech tools. More importantly, applying top tech tools to candidate sourcing can streamline the recruitment process and result in a more diverse, qualified talent pool.
An effective sourcing strategy is crucial to any successful talent acquisition program. At LevelUP our RPO consultants know the best sourcing practices when it comes to identifying and engaging qualified candidates. They also know how to sustain relationships and maintain regular communication within talent communities. A good RPO provider will measure the success of its candidate sourcing strategy by regularly tracking performance metrics such as quality of hire, employee retention, and candidate experience. Such metrics are essential to making continuous improvements to your organization’s long-term sourcing strategy.