Where the business need for RPO engagements is most apparent is when you have a specific hiring challenge, whether that’s time-to-fill issues or worker quality concerns. These have a direct impact on your business, and RPOs can solve them by helping you can gain access to new talent pools or allowing you to supplement your existing internal HR resources to increase bandwidth.
RPOs also help you create a better candidate experience, which is another hot button issue driving adoption today. How candidates talk about your company online – whether that’s via social or review sites like Glassdoor – can have a big impact on your employer brand and how attractive you are to potential employees. Many businesses realize this, and engage RPOs to ensure a smooth process from start to finish.
While these are valid reasons to go the RPO route, there’s another reason to engage a provider that doesn’t make as many headlines. It’s not about hiring needs and it’s not about the candidate.
It’s about your hiring managers.
Hiring managers are the most critical piece in a successful talent strategy, even in a candidate-driven market. There are three realities in today’s business environment that make your hiring manager experience so important.
1. It’s a tough labor market.
A Korn Ferry study warns that by 2030, the global talent shortage affecting us today will have reached 85 million people. Companies across all industries are feeling the weight of that already, but no one more so than your hiring managers. They’re left trying to deliver exceptional results with lean teams and lingering, open positions.
Many businesses turn to an RPO to find them talent, but the deeper value lies in their strategic consultation services. RPO providers have an expert-level view of the market landscape, including current supply and demand levels, that helps you develop a sourcing and recruiting strategy that aligns to it. Using a data-driven approach, RPO providers can advise businesses on everything from the right roles to target to appropriate compensation.
2. Not all managers are great at hiring.
While it’s already difficult to find qualified candidates, what makes matters worse is when top talent is hired and the role ends up not being a good fit. A study found that 48% of employees have left a job because it didn’t meet their expectations. And, that number jumps to 73% for Generation Z (ages 18-24).
One reason for this is because not all managers make great hiring managers. While they may be experts in their fields and effective team leaders, their hiring experience isn’t considered when they’re promoted to managers. And, if they don’t know exactly who they’re looking for or aren’t great interviewers, you run a greater risk of having turnover and retention challenges.
An RPO provider can provide important guidance here. They can walk managers through their needs, from determining the roles to fill to the criteria and skill sets needed for candidates to be successful on their teams. RPO providers can even offer training and one-on-one coaching for hiring managers, helping them develop the right interviewing and communication skills to drive better results.
3. The administrative burden is high.
There are many, many steps that happen between posting an open position and that first day on the job. While your hiring managers care about the process, they’re also tasked with keeping their team running – while short-staffed – during that search for the newest employee. Your internal recruiters do their best to keep the process moving forward, but often rely on hiring managers to help do so when their own plates are full of open requisitions across the company. Hiring managers often share the responsibility of managing the candidate experience as well.
RPO providers offer a big value add here. They’re experienced communicators who know how to seamlessly drive the process forward. And, using proven practices, they balance the hiring manager and candidate experiences to keep both informed from start to finish. RPOs handle everything from proactively providing status updates to hiring managers to closing the loop with de-selected candidates in meaningful ways that protect the employer brand.
A great hiring manager experience means more than happy managers. It means better, faster hires, a better candidate experience and a stronger employer brand. All of these benefits prove the real value of focusing on your hiring managers first.
