By Stephanie Sparks, Content Marketing Manager

In today’s tight job market, the competition for talent is intense. The end-to-end hiring process is more challenging than ever, and talent teams are stretched to the limit. The right recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) partner can alleviate this pressure by taking on some (or all) of the hiring activities for your company.

Outsourcing your recruitment process can provide plenty of benefits, including faster time to fill, improved quality of hire, increased hiring efficiencies, and a more consistent candidate experience. Yet businesses can feel hesitant to explore their RPO options because they don’t fully understand how it works or recognize the value it provides.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common misconceptions surrounding RPO — and set the record straight about this full-service recruitment solution.

5 Common Misconceptions — And The Truth About RPO

#1: RPO is just a different spin on staffing agencies

While staffing agencies and RPO providers can both help with your hiring needs, they are vastly different in terms of scope and approach.

  • Working with a staffing agency is typically a short-term transactional relationship, where the agency supplies candidates for your open role(s). The staffing agency doesn’t participate in other parts of the hiring process, and they don’t get involved in strategy. Agency recruiters typically work with several clients at once, they can pick and choose the vacancies they want to work on, and they are not required to stick with a job opening until it’s filled.
  • Working with an RPO provider like NXTThing RPO is a longer term strategic partnership. We take a hands-on approach, working closely with your company to understand your specific hiring needs and strategic goals. We can provide service and technology to support the entire hiring process, from sourcing through onboarding. And your dedicated RPO team acts as part of your talent team — so we’re invested in delivering quality hires for every role.

#2: RPO is a one-size-fits-all solution

A good RPO provider understands that every organization is different. At NXTThing RPO, we listen to your challenges and goals, then build a tailored recruitment solution for your unique situation. Our service offerings are flexible to provide the right level of service for your needs:

  • End-to-End Recruitment: We do everything from opening a job through onboarding. We also schedule interviews, communicate with the candidate and the hiring manager, and make sure all the details are taken care of. We screen talent for technical skills, cultural fit, and more. And through it all, we move fast to minimize candidate attrition.
  • Project Recruitment: Sometimes you need support at one location, region, division, or even a particular job function or a pilot project. We step in, ramp up, and find you the people you need to fill your professional level vacancies. We are always here to assist when and how you need us to.
  • Front-End Recruitment Support: Our team can use our recruiting acumen to find and assess talent. This source and screen service defines and executes a strategy to locate candidates, and qualifies their skills and experience. These prospects are then advanced to you for your company to move them through your process.
  • Recruiter Augmentation: When you are looking for a dedicated recruitment resource, NXTThing has the answer. We can provide you one skilled recruiting professional or a whole team to join your company for however long you need the additional support. This is a great way to have a person with a specific expertise working for you without having to find, train, and hire them.

#3: RPO takes control (and jobs) away from your in-house team

Working with an RPO provider is a partnership. At NXTThing, we serve as an extension of your internal talent team — not a replacement. We have a wealth of knowledge, experience, and scalability to elevate the efforts of your in-house talent team. With our unique combination of service and technology, we can make hiring more efficient, so your team has more time to execute on key business initiatives.

Keep in mind, whether your RPO partnership is virtual or onsite, the RPO provider is still accountable to you. They should provide full transparency on performance metrics to ensure you’re getting the business results you expect. And regardless of how much of the talent acquisition process is outsourced, final hiring decisions are still yours to make.

#4: RPO creates a confusing experience for candidates

Unlike staffing agencies, RPO providers like NXTThing interact with candidates under the client’s brand — not their own. As a result, every candidate receives an on-brand experience, without any indication that they’re working with an outside firm. And because we partner with your company on a strategic level, we can help to optimize your employer brand positioning and deliver a more positive, consistent candidate experience every time.

#5: RPO is just too expensive

While some RPO providers may require a large, fixed cost for their recruitment services, the secret behind the approach from NXTThing is its ability to scale up or down incredibly quickly. This on-demand accelerated model means that no longer is recruitment process outsourcing too expensive. Instead, it enables flexibility and confidence that your company can scale up or down depending on overall need, without the fixed price tag attached. Plus, with an RPO partnership, you can reduce overall hiring costs and achieve:

  • Greater reach for faster sourcing
  • Reduced time-to-fill
  • Improved overall hiring efficiency
  • Better quality-of-hires, leading to less turnover

Learn How RPO Can Take You to the NXT Level

Contact us today to learn more about our flexible, scalable RPO solutions and next-day implementation. We’d love to start the conversation on how NXTThing can help you drive more successful hiring outcomes.