WTF is Recruiting Process Outsourcing (RPO)? Great question, we’re glad you asked.

Recruiting Process Outsourcing (RPO) – a fancy phrase that describes an immersive recruiting and talent acquisition partner who dives right into the nitty gritty of your business to support (or in some cases entirely build up from the ground) your hiring and onboarding processes. At its core, RPO is a solution that allows an organization to continue focusing on its business objectives and current initiatives without sacrificing the time and attention of its internal resources. 

Typically, RPO is used during a time of high growth or major change within the organization. RPO can support part, or all, of your company’s permanent workforce hiring through external resources that can be scaled up or down based on your needs, providing a high degree of agility and flexibility.

So who could benefit from RPO? 

Any organization in any industry - it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. An RPO partner will customize their approach to your specific talent needs and challenges. Check out these examples of organizations we’ve worked with in the past, each with a unique set of needs:

• An early-stage tech start-up looking to scale after they’ve completed their first round of fundraising; hiring needs include: 5 full stack and software engineers, 2 UX engineers, a Data Analyst, an Administrative Assistant, and a Director of HR

• A global healthcare company that just completed an acquisition with plans for rapid expansion; hiring needs include: 3 Executive-level positions to manage newly launched international teams, 2 staff accountants, 6 data and software engineers, 1 director of clinical strategy, and additional medical staff openings

• An arts and culture nonprofit seeking staff across its functions to support its first season back post-covid; hiring needs include: 1 HR director, 3 production managers, 1 facility manager, and plenty of ushers, porters, and security guards

Still curious? We’ve got a few case studies and a long list of clients to prove RPO’s value. 

You said “immersive.” What does that look like in practice?

Right - so when we say “immersive,” we mean all up in your business. In a good way! Upon the start of a project, our team of talent professionals conducts a thorough intake and meets with key stakeholders throughout the organization to truly understand your business plan, growth trajectory, how products and services are delivered, and how revenue is generated. Many factors make for a good hire, especially understanding culture and organizational dynamics. After all, how can we be sure a candidate is the right fit for the job if we ourselves don’t know the ins and outs of the company? Knowing these details will help us customize our solution specifically to your needs.

Does the actual recruiting process look different than working with a typical staffing agency?

Yes, and here’s how it’s different: an RPO provider manages your entire recruitment cycle, operating as a seamless partner. They specialize in recruiting both passive and active candidates to find the best person for the job. Think of them as your brand representative, promoting a consistent brand message, scheduling interviews, handling salary negotiations, and maintaining tight quality control. Staffing agencies, on the other hand, operate on a reactive recruitment model, work on a requisition-to-requisition basis, and often hire temporary or temp-to-perm employees. 

What makes it more cost-effective than traditional recruiting practices?

You need top talent, but don’t want to break your bank in the process of finding it. A traditional retained search may see you paying a percentage of the hired candidate’s salary. So if you’re hiring for 10 of the same role, that placement fee would rack up to a hefty amount upon each hire. With RPO, we tell you the cost upfront of each resource and service. By operating on a management fee model (typically monthly), a fee is paid to the RPO provider for working on an agreed-upon number of positions. This fee combines the consistent recruiting effort under the management fee and payments for the success of the program (a.k.a. hires!). We want to help you grow without tearing you down in the process. 

To summarize, here are the 7 key reasons you should choose an RPO partner over a staffing firm: 

1. Better candidate quality

2. Reduced recruiting costs

3. Reduced time-to-hire

4. Fully scalable

5. Consistency and reliability

6. Analytics and reporting

7. Improved company brand

Want to learn more about RPO and discover if it’s right for your organization?

We’d love to chat! Even if we’re not a good fit, we’ve likely got the connections to help take your recruiting game to the next level. Reach out to info@junosearchpartners.com to set up a time to talk. 

Meet the Authors

Aubrey Dolbear
President, Juno Talent Solutions

Jennifer Orloski
Managing Talent Director, Juno Talent Solutions

We know good talent when we see it.

When we say, “Ultimate Connectors,” we mean the best at the talent acquisition game. Our expertise extends across industries, and verticals, with a broad network of professionals at all levels. Whatever your talent needs, we deliver a solution in a way that best fits your unique organization.