Let’s face it—finding great talent is becoming increasingly difficult. With skills shortages and intense candidate competition, many companies are turning to recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) to ensure they can secure and retain the future of their workforce. But, in some cases, choosing the right RPO provider can become as tricky as the hiring itself.
Your RPO provider is more than just outsourcing your recruitment function; they’re an extension of your team representing your brand to potential hires. An RPO company will understand your business, align with your culture, and deliver tailored solutions to address your specific talent acquisition challenges.
So, how do you ensure you’re picking the right RPO provider for your business? The process starts with conducting a discovery analysis of your current recruitment practices, an essential first step to understand whether an outsourced solution is the best fit for you. A discovery analysis focuses on financial metrics, examining all costs associated with recruitment, including hidden costs such as underutilised technology and time-to-hire inefficiencies. From there, it’s all about asking the right questions. To help guide you through this process, we’ve outlined 10 important questions to ask potential RPO providers.
Remembering that the goal isn’t simply to fill positions quickly is crucial. Instead, it’s about finding a partner who can improve your overall recruitment strategy, your quality of your hires, and ultimately contribute to your long-term business objectives.
1. How many appointments do you handle for an average client in twelve months?
Understanding the volume of appointments the RPO provider typically manages is essential to assessing whether they can handle your recruitment needs. A provider accustomed to managing a high volume of appointments may excel in large-scale operations but might not offer the strategic, close-knit relationship that smaller or more niche organisations require. Conversely, if they handle significantly fewer appointments than your projected needs, you might want to question their ability to scale effectively.
Global RPO experts suggest that scalable solutions are essential in the modern recruitment landscape. A reliable RPO provider should evaluate your hiring history and project future needs based on the business growth strategy for the next 12 to 24 months.
2. What is your account management model – in-house, offsite, or a blend?
How involved will your RPO team be in your day-to-day operations? Account management RPO models vary across providers. Some providers offer an in-house model, embedding recruiters within your organisation. This can help them understand your company culture better, but it might feel more costly or even isolating for the recruiters themselves. Others opt for an offsite model, managing recruitment from afar. This is good for remote management and could save money, but the recruiters might need more frequent touchpoints to stay aligned with your company.
A hybrid or blended approach often strikes the perfect balance for many companies, allowing the RPO to remain deeply involved while keeping overheads manageable.
3. Who will manage my account, and can I have a say in who is appointed?
Your relationship with your account manager can make or break your experience with an RPO provider. It’s not just about who they are but how well they understand your market. An effective account manager will build trust with your hiring managers, ensuring they rely on the RPO process rather than bypassing it with external agencies. This will ensure consistency, reliability, and excellence in delivery.
You can also ask whether you can have a say in who gets appointed to your account. After all, you’ll be working closely with this person, so you want to ensure a good fit for a successful outsourced solution.
Other follow-up questions can include:
- Do they have expertise in my market, or are they generalists?
- What happens if my appointment with the account manager doesn’t work out?
4. What is your typical account structure?
To ensure seamless recruitment operations, it’s important to understand the account structure the RPO provider employs. Ideally, the structure should include an account sponsor or director who oversees the strategic direction and handles escalations, along with a dedicated delivery team to manage day-to-day recruitment tasks.
Understanding how problems are anticipated and escalated is essential. Enquire about contingency plans for recruitment peaks. If your hiring needs fluctuate throughout the year, the RPO must be able to scale up or down to navigate your recruitment challenges.
Other follow-up questions can include:
- What is the escalation procedure in case of problems?
- How do you anticipate problems?
- How many people are appointed to each client?
5. How is your back-office team structured?
An RPO isn’t just about finding candidates; it’s about providing a full suite of recruitment services. This often includes a back-office team of marketing, compliance, and technology specialists. For example, RPO companies may help you create engaging job ads and candidate materials, manage compliance, or set up your applicant tracking system (ATS). These attributes set them apart from general recruitment agencies.
Make sure to ask who handles what. Are social media campaigns in-house or outsourced? How do they manage payroll and compliance? These details matter because they determine how smooth your overall experience will be. This broad support structure can make a significant difference in your recruitment success.
6. What is your standard recruitment process?
No two RPO providers are alike, so asking for a clear rundown of their recruitment process is important. Start with the basics, such as how they move from a job requisition to onboarding. RPOs should focus on providing a seamless candidate experience. A good recruitment process not only increases acceptance rates but also improves your employer brand. Once you have asked about the basics, ask about the specifics, like candidate screening, interview scheduling, and feedback loops.
Recent research reveals that 70% of employees who experience exceptional onboarding report having ‘the best job possible’, contributing to reduced attrition rates. Therefore, your RPO provider must implement a well-defined process that guarantees timely communication and efficiently manages each candidate touchpoint.
7. Which ATS system do you use, and how will it integrate with our systems?
Your application tracking system is the backbone of your recruitment process. It is essential to ask your RPO provider about the ATS they use and how it integrates with your existing systems. The wrong ATS can lead to inefficiencies and inflated costs. ATS software often represents a significant portion of your overall recruitment budget. In the UK, the average price ranges from £2,500 pa to £10,000 pa, so ensuring smooth integration is essential to save both time and money.
Hidden costs can emerge if bespoke customisations are needed. Be sure to clarify whether the ATS aligns with your specific needs, from job postings to onboarding.
8. How do you assess and improve employer value proposition (EVP)?
Your employer value proposition (EVP) is the set of attributes that make your organisation attractive to potential hires. An RPO provider with expertise in EVP development will help position your company to attract top talent in a competitive market. Whether it’s showcasing your diversity initiatives, compensation packages, or work-life balance, your EVP should tell a compelling story.
According to a report published by McKinsey, 35% of employees identified a lack of care from companies or managers as one of their top three reasons for resigning. Furthermore, 41% of employees indicated they would leave their positions due to insufficient career development opportunities, while 36% cited inadequate overall compensation as their reason for departure. These statistics indicate the importance of demonstrating a strong EVP. Therefore, it’s crucial to ask how the provider plans to evaluate and enhance your brand to ensure it resonates with both current employees and potential candidates.
9. What metrics do you report on, and how frequently?
Measuring the success of your recruitment efforts is critical. Typical RPO metrics include time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, and offer acceptance ratio. It’s important to understand how often your RPO provider will report on these metrics and whether they can accommodate any specific KPIs you want to track. Regular reporting ensures transparency and helps adjust strategies in real time to improve recruitment performance.
Other follow-up questions can include:
- What is the process for determining these metrics?
- What tools do you use to record, analyse, and manage these metrics?
- How do you improve your performance over time?
10. Can I speak to some of your existing clients?
Lastly, always ask for references from current or past clients. Speaking directly to other businesses that have worked with the provider can offer insights into service quality, responsiveness, flexibility, and any hidden costs that might arise. This step is crucial in verifying the provider’s claims and ensuring they are the right partner for your business.
The NES Advantage – A Global RPO Provider
At NES Advantage, we specialise in providing tailored RPO solutions focusing on engineering talent across various industries, including Oil & Gas, Renewables, Chemicals, Life Sciences, and Construction. With our global expertise and deep understanding of complex recruitment challenges, we help businesses build the teams they need. Partnering with NES Advantage presents numerous advantages for your organisation, including:
- Access to a global talent pool and international expertise
- Decreased cost-per-hire and reduced time-to-hire
- Optimised recruitment strategy
- Enhanced employee value proposition (EVP) and employer branding
- Efficient and scalable recruitment solutions
Choosing the right RPO partner is a significant decision, with many factors to consider. Download our latest whitepaper for practical advice and discover additional questions you should ask when selecting an RPO provider. Contact us today if you would like to talk to us about our RPO and MSP solutions.
