Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) has gained significant popularity as a solution for businesses aiming to enhance their hiring processes, optimize costs, and achieve better talent acquisition outcomes. However, selecting the appropriate RPO model is essential to align with specific needs and objectives.

RPO presents a range of solution models that can be customized to every client. This inherent flexibility of models is a key factor contributing to RPO's effectiveness across companies of varying sizes and industries.  In this blog post, LevelUP provides an overview of four prevalent RPO models: Enterprise RPO, Project RPO, Selective RPO, and Total Talent Management.

Enterprise RPO (End-to-End RPO)

Employers who adopt an Enterprise RPO partnership enlist the expertise of an RPO provider to manage every aspect of the talent lifecycle from start to finish. This comprehensive model encompasses various responsibilities—including conducting intake meetings, candidate sourcing, market mapping, candidate screening, interview coordination, offer management, onboarding facilitation, candidate engagement, data management, and more. Additionally, Enterprise RPO often provides valuable services like employer brand strategy, DE&I consulting, and access to an advanced recruitment tech stack. There are two subsets of Enterprise RPO to consider:

Complete Outsourced: Under this model, the RPO provider assumes recruitment responsibilities for the entire organization on a long-term basis, streamlining the recruitment process with their technology solutions.

Job, Division, or Location Specific: In this model, the RPO provider manages the recruitment process for a specific geographic area, business unit, or role-based criteria. The client can choose to utilize the technology resources provided by the RPO provider based on their preference and existing infrastructure.

When to Consider Enterprise RPO

• Your organization requires large-scale hiring across multiple locations or business units.
• You need end-to-end recruitment process management and optimization.
• You seek a long-term, strategic partnership to enhance your talent acquisition capabilities.
• Cost-effectiveness and scalability are essential factors for your business.

Project RPO

Project RPO is a flexible and temporary recruitment solution designed to address specific hiring initiatives or short-term projects. It offers the value of an end-to-end RPO solution on a project-bound basis. The RPO partner brings in their expertise, resources, and technology to support the project's requirements. Project RPO is particularly suitable for organizations undergoing mergers, expansions, seasonal hiring spikes, or unexpected surges in hiring demand. It is also ideal for businesses venturing into new locations or facing the challenge of filling unfamiliar roles.

When to Consider Project RPO

• You have a short-term hiring project with defined timelines and deliverables.
• Your organization lacks the necessary resources or expertise to handle the project internally.
• Flexibility is crucial, as the project's duration and scope may vary.
• You require additional support to manage high-volume hiring spikes, seasonal recruitment needs, or niche hiring.

Selective RPO

Selective RPO allows organizations to outsource specific parts of the recruitment process while retaining control over other aspects. The RPO provider typically focuses on certain stages of the hiring process, such as candidate sourcing, screening, or assessment, while the internal HR team manages activities like interviewing and onboarding. Selective RPO enables organizations to retain control over in-house recruiting strengths while outsourcing areas of weakness. There are two common types of Selective RPO:

Recruitment on Demand: Recruiters are assigned to the client organization for a specific period, usually on a weekly or monthly basis. This approach allows companies to flexibly scale their recruiting teams to meet unexpected challenges, supplementing their in-house HR and recruitment teams with minimal administrative burden.

Sourcing as a Service: Dedicated teams utilize various methods, such as database searches, online platforms, social media, and networking, to identify potential candidates for specific job roles. This service provides clients access to a broader talent pool while retaining control over all other in-house recruitment functions.

When to Consider Selective RPO:

• Your organization has identified recruitment pain points that need improvement.
• You prefer to keep your talent acquisition process primarily internal.
• You want to leverage external expertise in hiring for specific skill sets.
• You seek a flexible arrangement where you can choose which parts of the recruitment process to outsource.

Total Talent Solution

Total Talent Management is a comprehensive approach that combines elements of RPO and contingent workforce management (CWM) to address an organization's holistic talent needs. This model encompasses the recruitment and management of all types of talent, including full-time hires, temporary workers, independent contractors, freelancers, consultants, and more. In addition to meeting the client's day-to-day hiring needs, total talent acquisition offers enhancements such as onboarding, payroll management, and data-driven staffing strategy and management recommendations. A successful total talent solution considers all available resources to enhance the client organization's unique business environment.

When to Consider Total Talent Management:

• Your organization relies on a blended workforce with diverse employment types.
• You require a centralized approach to manage both permanent and contingent hiring.
• Comprehensive visibility, control, and optimization of all talent acquisition processes are critical.

Selecting the right RPO model requires careful consideration of your organization's motivations for implementing change. To ensure a successful transition, we advise conducting thorough interviews with prospective RPO partners to confirm they can fulfill your unique requirements. With flexible options available, many RPO providers can customize their services to meet your needs by combining features from different RPO engagements.

About LevelUP HCS

LevelUP Human Capital Solutions was founded in 2012 with the mission to modernize talent acquisition. We provide customized, sustainable, and DE&I-forward solutions to help businesses attract, engage, and retain top talent. Utilizing agency search techniques, innovative technology, and enhanced brand management, we pride ourselves on delivering exceptional results tailored to the unique needs of our clients.

Since our first client engagement, we have grown to provide talent solutions across the globe and support some of the best-known companies within technology, ad technology, fin tech, wellness, financial services, management consulting, production, data and analytics, retail, biotechnology, and healthcare.