Volume or high-volume recruitment can also be known as the following: Seasonal Recruitment; Ramp-up Recruitment; In-house Recruitment; Onsite Recruitment or Bulk Recruitment. A high volume recruitment project would typically happen when a company needs to hire large numbers of candidates in a stipulated time. Therefore to lessen the workload on HR and other departments of the company clients outsource the project to specialist recruitment providers.
Essentially any hiring project which involves between 5 and 500+ staff, at one time, would be considered a High-Volume recruitment project. This is an area which very few recruitment companies are capable of delivering. It is not simply about numbers, it is also about quality, as the learning curve of new hires is fast and they need to hit the ground running in their new position. The selection process needs to be rigorous to ensure that the right people are being taken on regardless of whether it is 20+ people or 200+.
In most cases, the client’s Recruitment/HR team, need help and support to make a project like this happen. Handling volumes of CV’s, interviews, Assessment Centres, Reference Checks and all of the administration that needs to happen on a requirement of 350+ staff is both challenging and significant. Recruitment companies with this expertise have dedicated Project Managers who specialise in this. Back office support teams are used to handling volume, they have the ability to make a high volume project happen fast.
Situations which might lead to a high-volume project:
- Seasonal headcount increase – for example, a company may be forecasting a peak in their busiest quarter of the year, so an increase in headcount could mean a high volume recruitment solution. This would be key for online retailers, gaming companies, travel companies etc. This is usually for contract or temporary positions.
- Winning a major client – a company which is bidding for new business, without the staffing levels in place needs to be quickly ramp-up staff when the business closes and go-ahead is given. This would be relevant to outsourced call centres, where staffing levels can fluctuate significantly.
- A Company arriving into a brand new country – for example, a company may be
relocating to a new country such as Ireland or UK, and they have plans to establish a new Facility or European Shared Service Centre, in many cases this will involve a high-volume project, usually for permanent positions involving multiple languages and disciplines.
The recruitment partner on a project like this will often perform tasks right from sourcing candidates through to final assessments, so choosing the right company with a track record and a solid approach to this type of recruitment is essential. Mobilising teams quickly to be able to handle high volumes of CV’s and a volume driven recruitment campaign is critical. In most cases, there will be an element of onsite or in-house recruitment, where members of the recruitment agency project team would be working out of the clients office, to speed up the process and build a strong partnership with hiring managers.
Selection of one or maximum two recruitment companies is vital, there will be a limited number of candidates in the market and each agency would be able to tap into a wide talent pool. You will usually get a better price if you offer exclusivity to a recruitment company, although you would need to have a high level of trust in your recruitment partner to do so.
High-Volume Recruitment provides peace of mind for the client in mass numbers in a stipulated time period. It helps save time and money for both the client and the agency. With this kind of services the agencies ensure good growth and development for the company and help to represent their client as an Employer of Choice, selling the opportunity to prospective candidates.
If the project is for contract or temporary staff, they will usually be on the payroll of the agency, and an hourly rate will be agreed. If the project is for a ramp-up project for a new company coming into the local market, then rather that a % per head fee, you should look to agree a total project cost for the completion of the whole project. Build in milestone bonuses with your recruitment partner, so that they are fully accountable for reaching all of the recruitment goals and deadlines. Your project cost can work out much more cost-effective and everyone knows where they stand on budget from the outset.
Many recruitment companies will claim that they can deliver high-volume recruitment, but you will find that only a few of them are actually able to make it happen. Always look for experience and expertise where high volumes have been involved, and speak to clients that they have previously worked on ramp-up campaigns for recommendations. Always ensure you go through their recruitment procedures, ways of working and case studies of other similar high-volume projects before selecting your partner. High-Volume recruitment is not for the feint-hearted, but it is great fun and always a rollercoaster ride!
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