What is RPO?

Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is becoming more and more widely used as organisations experience rapid change and exceptional growth, particularly in the technology and online sectors.  Flexibility and scalability are critical to any business, and RPO gives companies a solution to ever-changing hiring demands.

The Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association defines RPO as follows: "When a provider acts as a company's internal recruitment function for a portion or all of its jobs. RPO providers manage the entire recruiting/hiring process from job profiling through the onboarding of the new hire, including staff, technology, method and reporting. A properly managed RPO will improve a company's time to hire, increase the quality of the candidate pool, provide verifiable metrics, reduce cost and improve HR compliance."

The biggest distinction between RPO and other types of staffing is Process. In RPO, the service provider assumes ownership of the process, while in other types of staffing the service provider is part of a process controlled by the organisation buying their services.  RPO Providers work seamlessly alongside HR to provide a high-volume solution to staffing. 

The RPO Alliance, a group of the Human Resources Outsourcing Association (HROA), approved this definition in February 2009: "Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is a form of business process outsourcing (BPO) where an employer transfers all or part of its recruitment processes to an external service provider. An RPO provider can provide its own or may assume the company's staff, technology, methodologies and reporting.”

In all cases, RPO differs greatly from providers such as staffing agencies which provide contingent/retained in that it assumes ownership of the design and management of the recruitment process and the responsibility of results.  

What to consider when selecting an RPO partner:

• Track Record - ensure that there is proven history of success with other clients, preferably in your industry.  Talk to the clients which have been serviced by your shortlist of RPO providers, learn from their experience and ask them to provide references. A companies client list on RPO can tell you a lot about their ability to handle your project.
• Candidate Reach - make sure that your RPO provider has experience and knowledge of how to source and recruit outside of your geographic location. If the talent is not in-country, then you need to be confident that they can go and find it for you.
• Recruitment Process & Automation - RPO is all about process, look into detail at the processes and way in which the company handles applications from high-volumes of candidates, and how they get from volume to quality hires.
• The People Behind the Process - It's all very well having the processes in place, but the people running the project, from the management team down to the administration and recruitment team are critical to the success of the RPO.
• Your Core Values & Culture - It is vital that your RPO provider 'gets' your business. They must truly understand your values, your people and your culture in order to implement are highly effective RPO solution which exceeds your expectations.
• SLA's in Place - Always ensure that you agree Service Level Agreements which are metrics driven in line with your company standards to keep your RPO provider accountable.  These could include time to hire, fill rate, quality of hire, retention, attendance, performance etc. and will vary depending on whether you are bringing in RPO for contract staff or permanent staff.

There are many benefits to RPO:

• Scalable solution to support the ebb and flow of hiring demands; with an RPO provider you can manage staffing for a seasonal business or ramp-up quickly when a new contract is won and increased headcount is needed.  One of our clients we provide RPO for increases headcount by in excess of 700 staff in the lead up to Christmas in UK & Ireland.  Our role in this is to source, select, screen, assess, hire, onboard and pay the staff and then manage any disciplinary procedures for the duration of the contract.  We provide onsite staff and work seamlessly with the HR team and management within the business. 
• Cost-Saving - What is the cost saving for a business in using RPO?  A large IT company in the US saved over $1m per annum, representing 40% of their costs.  Initially companies may look to RPO for cost reasons, but they also make long term gains.  Outsourcing is better for efficiency, better service, employer brand reputation and a host of other reasons. Once corporates engage in dialogue with the RPO provider they start realising the value in other areas. Cost brings RPO to the table but its not why people sign up and stay with RPOs.
• Large or Small Business?  - It’s just not just large corporates who are turning to RPO, start-ups who have just taken on VC funding are looking to RPOs as a quick and effective way to get scale quickly.  They focus on what they do best and outsource areas such as recruitment and HR from the get go.
• Expertise & Industry Knowledge - An RPO provider can hit the ground running, they can start building a pipeline quickly
• Your Employer Brand - An RPO provider can give your company more exposure and more credibility in the marketplace by representing you really well to jobseekers and potential talent.  Their reach in the market will be greater and many RPO providers will advertise on your behalf with your branding, as well as running social media campaigns to attract only the best people.  Their networks in many cases can take you further afield and build you a great reputation in the marketplace. 
• Strategic Focus for HR Teams - Bringing in an RPO provider allows key internal HR resources to refocus on higher level organizational competencies.    

I hope you found this explanation useful, I am regularly asked this question so I thought I would share my thoughts and ideas and point you in the direction of resources that can help you decide if RPO is right for your organisation.

Other Useful Links:

Webcast: What Benefits Should I Expect to Gain in an RPO Engagement  

How to Boost Your Online Reputation using LinkedIn

LinkedIn is THE online network of choice for business professionals.  If you are looking for a new position you need to be on LinkedIn.  If you are looking to raise the profile of your business, you need to be on LinkedIn.  If you want to be found on Google, you need to be on LinkedIn.  If you are not looking for a new position but like the idea of being headhunted, you need to be on LinkedIn.  If you want more sales, well you get the idea, and the list goes on. So once you have a LinkedIn profile, how can you really boost your credibility to massive effect? This weeks blog will give you some hot tips to help you:

- Network More Effectively

- Build a Solid Online Reputation

- Raise the Visibility of your Company 

- Help you Secure a new Job

- Find the People you Need 

- Make more Sales

Tip Number 1 - The Importance of a Complete Profile

When we network on a face to face basis, you have the opportunity to build rapport, establish common ground and make a good impression on the person you are meeting for the first time.  However, when you network online, other people will judge you on your online profile and how you come across before deciding to connect with you.  If you put your name into Google to check out your online reputation, the most likely number one link will be your LinkedIn profile.  

It is so important to ensure that you have a 100% complete profile, including a professional photograph.  Your profile should OOOOZE credibility.  It is much more than an online CV, although your work background will be listed.  The summary is what counts.  Really go for it and highlight all the reasons why someone should hire you, work with you, give you business or connect with you.  Remember your online reputation is at stake here, put lots of thought into what you say and how you say it in the summary.

Tip Number 2 - Recommendations

Again credibility points start to rack up if you have strong recommendations.  It is very easy to get a colleague or a friend to say how lovely you are but it is much more credible if a client has written a glowing testimonial about your account management skills, or your sales ability or your customer service.  Recommendations from Managers or Directors in companies you have worked in previously will also boost your credibility.  You can choose which recommendations you show/hide in your profile so you are in control of which ones appear to any profile visitors.  

A minimum 10 recommendations would give you a good basis for any LinkedIn profile.  If you do a few different roles both in and outside of work then you may have a selection from the various areas of your professional life.  This is a fantastic way to build your online reputation, and every time you receive a recommendation your network will see that in your home feed.  

Tip Number 3 - Your Connections 

You can check out your Network Statistics on LinkedIn, by going to the Contacts tab.  This will tell you how many people are in your network, but most importantly how many people in total this connects you to in total indirectly.  At the time of writing this blog, I am connected to 2370 people as 1st connections.  You can view my profile here.  This gives me access to a total network of 12.4 million LinkedIn Profiles.  So why might that be important?  

Every time I search LinkedIn for a specific keyword, I am searching 12.4 million connections.  The chances are that I am going to find who I am looking for with that kind of a network.  From a business development point of view, I can put in a search term and I know that thousands of profiles will come up of people in my target market.  From a candidate perspective, if I am looking for an Inside Sales Specialist with the keyword German, the chances are that I am going to be able to find the right person for my client.  

Simply put, the more connections you have, the more credible you look and the more people want to connect with you because you know a lot of people.  Groups can be a great way to boost your connections.  Keyword searches will help you to connect with people and LinkedIn has a great tool called "People you may Know" under "Add Connections".  This is a list of people who you have mutual connections, and gives you the chance to invite people who you probably know or know of. 

Tip Number 4 - Your Status Updates

Your status updates should be content driven, with frequent updates to keep you visible, whilst providing useful articles which benefit your network.  The updates should always be about adding value to your network, the more interesting your updates are the more frequently your profile will be seen and visited by others.  If you are the "go-to" person for all the latest news about High-tech or Green Energy or the Automotive industry you are raising your profile and online reputation as someone in the know about this topic.  You can easily find articles to share on the LinkedIn Today tab.  Sharing interesting news or topics is a one-click exercise and very easy to do.    

If you are constantly making your updates all about you, or your business you will be constantly seen as selling and that is not going to do your online reputation any favours.  Be useful, be interesting, be creative and be credible.  If you are regularly providing your target market with helpful tips and useful articles you will be raising the bar and making a difference to those people in your network and it will be notices.  I recommend that you update your status at least three times per day to gain the most exposure and to keep visible.  You can also link your LinkedIn account to Twitter so that you can spread your message further to a different audience.

Tip Number 5 - Your Skills & Keywords

This is so important if you want to be found.  LinkedIn is keyword searchable like any search engine, and it is really important that you include the keywords that others might type in to find you.  This applies whether you are a job-seeker, salesperson or a business owner.  Ensure that you use the Skills section to add specific skills that you have as a list, because people like me in the recruitment industry will use this to find you and offer you fantastic job opportunities.  From a business owner perspective, your potential clients may just be using LinkedIn to find your type of product or service.

A great way to generate ideas is to run a search for your type of business or industry keywords and see who comes up on page one.  These are the people who are competing with you for the same job or same type of business who are ahead of the game, with profiles who help them get found.  I recently sat down with a business owner who specialises in Occupational Health & Safety and First Aid courses. When we searched for this in LinkedIn, all of his competitors came up and he was on page three.  A quick change to the Skills and Keywords now sees him competing on Page 1 in LinkedIn searches and this will make a difference to his business.  

There are many other ways to raise your credibility and build a solid online reputation so there will be more to come in the next blog entry. For now, enjoy updating your LinkedIn profile and I hope that you have found these tips useful.

9,500 Recruitment Firms in UK...make that 9,501!

Last week I attended the NRF (National Recruitment Federation) conference in Dublin, where guest speaker Ann Swain, CEO of APSCo reported on the global trends in the recruitment industry and the overall state of the recruitment market.  A highly impressive speaker, engaging and very knowledgeable.  

Ann talked about key markets, and new "hot to trot" locations where recruitment is a growth sector.  Her advice was not to set up in the UK.  So what are we doing this week... setting up in the UK.  According to Ann, there are 9,500 recruitment companies in the UK, now with the addition of Expect Talent UK Ltd. make that 9,501...

Before you think we have completely lost the plot, Ann also added, "don't set up in the UK unless you are following a client".  So we are setting up our business in Edinburgh as a result of a 4 year client relationship in Ireland.  This is a very exciting growth phase for Expect Talent and we are delighted that we can start up in the UK with such a high profile recruitment project, which will help us launch our business in the UK in 2011.  

The last 3 weeks have been spent planning with a very short lead time before we go live,  as a key partner for a high-volume recruitment project for a customer service centre which will create 900 jobs in city centre Edinburgh.  Our highly talented team have gone into action to make it all happen, and our networks in Scotland (thanks to BNI) have meant that finding local contacts has been easy. 

My advice for any business looking to start in the UK.  Plan, plan and plan again, whilst  leveraging every key contact you have to help you.  Where possible, help others and give opportunities to local businesses who in turn will help you back.  Hire the best talent to represent you and always have a Plan B, C and D.  I write this blog on a ferry on the way to Scotland.  Ash Clouds won't get in the way of making this happen, so we had a Plan B, go by boat! 

There is no better time to look outside of your local market, wherever you are reading this from.  Small businesses in 2011 should be focused on delivering exceptional customer service, as well as doing things in a unique and engaging way which adds value to the client.  Its all about activity levels, regardless of your industry.  If you triple your activity levels, you will triple your results, and then some!  Far too many people focus on all the negativity, but when you focus on success and positivity you attract more of the same.

I look forward to bringing a new and innovative approach to the UK recruitment market, as we continue to change the way the world does recruitment. I would like to thank everyone who has helped us along the way so far in the UK, and to my team, you are all amazing and I could not drive this business on without you.  UK here we come... Expect Talent UK Ltd. is born!

Having a Brilliant Team - Hiring Strategies

When I asked my team for ideas on a topic for this week's blog, they suggested I write about our fantastic team!!  Brilliant, what a great idea.  So I started to think about what makes them so brilliant at what they do, and how could the way that we develop our own in-house staff help others who might be reading this. 

1.  Hiring from outside of your Industry

Very often clients ask us to find them candidates with a number of years experience in their industry. However, this is not always the best route to finding the best talent.  All of my recruitment team have previously NEVER worked in recruitment.  Why? As you will know by now, the way we look at the whole industry and work with customers is so different from all other agencies that it would take far too much time to untrain bad habits, and the fact that we do not incentivise our recruitment team with commission does not suit or appeal to people who have already worked in the industry. 

I always look to hire people with a passion for excellence, a high level of customer service and strong account management skills.  Attention to detail and strong multi-tasking and organisational skills are critical.  Attitude, Attitude, Attitude.  Do you need to have industry experience to become an expert recruiter?  With the right training, environment and support of course not.  The same applies to many industries, companies are often missing out on great talent by only sticking to people with their own industry background.  So next time you go to hire, think outside the box.

2.  Win Happy

I heard the theme for 2011 of great Cork PR company this week, it's "Win Happy!", its not just about the revenue its about the happiness and fun factor of the team too.  The happiness factor and the motivation levels of any team are closely linked to productivity.  We have a staff happiness survey each quarter, and we measure our teams happiness factor.  This for me is what makes our team so brilliant, we have fun regardless of how busy we are, its great to be around happy and motivated people who love what they do.

3.  Commitment & Dedication

Over the 5 years we have built up a great team of Talent Managers and Administrators, their commitment to us as a business and their dedication to our candidates and clients is second to none. Without the team we would not be anywhere near as successful and for that I am extremely grateful.  The "above and beyond" mentality of every one in the team, means that we can deliver great results and be very flexible to clients demands.  This attitude is so important to any company and contributes hugely to the business. 

4.  Development Opportunities

A lack of opportunity for progression is often the reason people leave a company, so the development of my team is critical, giving them opportunities to learn, to upskill and to develop on a personal and professional level is vital to retaining the great talent that we have.  I want to help them all achieve their goals in life, and if the business can make that happen then all the better. 

5.  Celebrating Success, Reward & Recognition

Each member of our team has a "Success Diary", they record their successes no matter how big or small and the first item in our team meeting agenda is each person sharing one success from the previous week.  By focusing on the positive, we attract more great successes, and this keeps everyones mindset in a good place.  We recognise and reward in ways other than commission, surprise vouchers, team nights out, our famous "Friday Club" - team lunch on the house every week, and social time together outside of work.  Celebration of Success and feeling part of something special is what helps to make a brilliant team.

So this is my opportunity to recognise and thank all of my amazing team members - Julia, Margaret, Chris, Jackie, Pablo, Mairead, Caitriona, Lucy, Una, thank you for everything that you do, this business would be nowhere without your hard work, commitment, dedication and great talents. 

How do you develop your team and would you ever consider hiring people with no experience in your industry?

Networking, Social Media & Recruitment

This morning I was interviewed for a national newspaper in Ireland, in relation to Expect Talent and our incredible 2010, a very positive piece of PR thanks to Anne Kiely & Associates.  One of the questions I have been asked to comment on is "How important has networking and relationship building been in your business, and do you think it is important for a recruitment company?".

Whether you are a jobseeker, business owner or hiring manager reading this, my answer has to be that it is CRITICAL.  Your network of contacts should be one of the best sources of help, support and referrals and is absolutely key to your success.  My own business has grown through effective networking, relationship building and word of mouth, through involvement in organisations like BNI.  I learnt how build relationships and grow my network by educating and upskilling myself on referral marketing.  I have always applied "Givers Gain" to all apsects of life and work, which is the key philosophy of BNI.  By helping others to grow their business and giving something back to other people whether it be a referral, testimonial, advice or support is one of the best ways to grow your business and increase your visibility and credibility which leads to more business.

The depth and breadth of your connections in your personal and business life will always play a major role in the development of your career and your business.  Any recruitment business owner who is not upskilling themselves and their recruitment team on networking both face to face and online will find it increasingly difficult to grow their client and candidate base.  Why cold-call when you can learn how to effectively grow a business through relationships and word of mouth?  It still amazes me how many companies are cold-calling rather than really getting to know the people around them who can help.  If you want to learn how to leverage your contacts then I recommend reading "Life, Business and Speedboats" written by my good friend Iain Whyte.

I was also asked the question in my interview - "How has the recruitment sector evolved in the last 18 months?".  The importance of social media and online networking has meant a huge shift in the way that companies now hire and source great talent for their business.  For example, over 95% of companies now use LinkedIn for recruitment.  If you want to learn more amazing stats on social media  and its impact on the recruitment sector,  just take a look at this video from Socionomics. 

Most internal recruiters for large organisations are now trained on how to find great talent through online networking, recruiters in agencies are using these social media tools for recruitment all the time.  If you are looking for a new job then make sure your profile can be found on LinkedIn, and make sure that your Facebook page is professional and represents you well, you never know who might be looking at it.  In 2010 over 60% of our permanent placements were candidates who we found through LinkedIn.   

More than ever, networking and social media play a massive part in the world of recruitment and job-seeking.   I would love to hear how networking and social media has helped you as a job-seeker, hiring manager or business owner.  So why not take action today, and make social media or networking part of your 2011 recruitment or job-seeking strategy. 

Flipping the Recruitment Model on its Head

In December 2010, Expect Talent will celebrate 5 years in business, which is something we are really proud of, not only are we still here, but we are considered one of the fastest growing recruitment companies in the country. Our turnover has already more than doubled this year and our client base continues grow, attracting leading multinational employers nationwide, and it got me thinking... 

Why and How? Honestly, I can put it down to the fact that from Day 1 we completely flipped the traditional recruitment model on its head.  We entered an extremely competitive market in 2005, in a booming economy and decided to break from the pack.  Why do what everyone else in the industry is doing?  We started by listing down all of the frustrating and annoying things that most (not all!) recruitment agencies do on both the client and candidate side of their business and decided to do the exact opposite. 

I still have the notebook when I was brainstorming my grand plans to be an entrepreneur, when Expect Talent was just a dream in my head. I thought I would share today some examples of the how we flip the model on its head:

No Commission for the Recruitment Team

This to me is fundamentally one of the main reasons that our industry has a bad reputation, recruiters should be placing candidates for the right reason and not because its their next commission payment.  Recruiters in our team are not salespeople and have no placement targets to meet, so their approach is consultative and in the best interest of both candidate and client, not their own.

Hire People from Outside of the Recruitment Industry

This has been one of the keys to building a phenomenal team, the approach we take to recruitment is so different, that it is much easier to train and upskill excellent account managers with passion for customers on how to recruit, than it is to un-train habits from recruiters who have previously come from within the industry, this is definitely our preference and has allowed us to build an incredibly talented team internally.

Treat Every Vacancy like an Executive Search Assignment

Regardless of the level of seniority, if each vacancy we work on is treated like an Executive Search Assignment, the search becomes completely pro-active and creates a shortlist of a maximum 3 top candidates, we will never be the fastest but we will always deliver the best quality.  That's why over 90% of candidates we put forward secure client interviews, one of the highest ratios in the industry.

Detailed Interview Profiles for every Candidate

Why put forward a CV without any detailed information about the candidate?  Our clients use a professional service to save them time and hassle and to secure the best talent.  Unique and detailed profiles on each candidate mean that hiring managers and HR teams can make an informed decision about the person based on the competency and situation based interview we conduct before submitting a candidate to a client.

Five years ago, I believed passionately that our strategy would work, and now I know without question that flipping the traditional recruitment model on its head was the right path to take and continues to give us the edge.  I am getting all nostalgic this week as I prepare for our 5th Birthday party which will be held in December in the Blackrock Castle Observatory, and look forward to thanking all of the clients, candidates, suppliers, friends and referral partners that have played a part in our success so far.  Here's to the next five years and beyond...

Welcome!

Welcome to the official Expect Talent Blog, the place to gain insights and bright ideas on recruitment, job-seeking, and hiring staff of the highest quality.  Whether you are looking to hire the best talent into your company, change careers, or find that dream job having been made redundant, we are here to help.  In this blog we aim to give you that small nugget of advice that might just help you along the way.

If you are frustrated by the recruitment industry then you can join the club!  This was the reason why Expect Talent was started, so forget everything you already know about recruitment, here is where we challenge the typical way of doing things, and flip the recruitment industry on its head.  We are changing the way the world does Recruitment and in our blog you can find out how...

So welcome to first time readers and I hope you enjoy what we have to say.  We welcome your feedback, views, comments on this blog and of course look forward to helping you in some way whether you are a candidate or responsible for hiring in your organisation. 

Thanks for joining us on our blogging journey, and please get in touch, we would love to hear from you.

Samantha Rathling
Managing Director
sam@expect.ie