The U.S. business sector is grappling with widespread labor shortages. Although companies nationwide need help filling vacancies, some states are having a worse time than others.
Montana, for instance, only has 48 available workers for every 100 job openings, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The state also has a labor participation rate of 62.3%, a lower percentage than during pre-pandemic years.
As businesses struggle with this situation, data suggests that the demand for human resource specialists within the state has swelled. In this regard, Montana businesses may consider outsourced recruitment services to help fill the gaps of the human resource specialists shortage.
What Is Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), and How Does It Work?
Recruitment process outsourcing, or RPO, is a type of outsourcing solution where companies delegate a part (or all) of their hiring and recruitment processes to a BPO provider.
Unlike traditional recruitment or some staffing agencies, which only meet short-term recruitment goals, RPO is more comprehensive. With the latter, businesses allow competent talent acquisition managers to handle recruitment on their behalf. These professionals have access to advanced recruitment technology and other best practices for sourcing talents.
The RPO provider handles the entire recruitment process, from the job description to onboarding. Using effective methodologies and expertise, the RPO staff promotes the job vacancies to a massive network. Social media hiring is also part of RPO services.
Depending on agreed contract stipulations, arrangements may also include fine-tuning the clients’ entire hiring process by addressing gaps that affect the candidate journey.
Ways Outsourced Recruitment Support Services Can Help With the HR Specialist Shortages in Montana
#1: Access a global talent pool of HR and recruitment professionals.
In 2022, attracting new employees amid a tight job market was the primary concern among HR professionals and executives. Fast-forward to 2023, human resource specialists are still contending with this issue.
According to the 2022-2023 SHRM State of the Workplace, recruiters grapple with finding suitable job candidates. Employers are also suffering from dismal employee retention rates.
The hiring difficulties emerged from the following:
- Today’s generation of job seekers prioritizes good work culture, making them extremely picky for possible employers.
- Many have a preference for flexible and remote work arrangements.
- Candidates are looking for above-market compensation.
- Scores of employees are resigning due to disengagement.
If a firm’s in-house recruiting team struggles with the same challenges, RPO can be your holy grail. One of the benefits of outsourcing recruitment services is the opportunity to expand hiring beyond borders, giving partners access to a global pool of HR professionals and qualified applicants.
In the case of Montana businesses, partnering with an RPO provider allows them to have offshore recruitment teams replacing their entire HR department.
#2: Facilitate a more compassionate recruitment process.
According to Forbes, employee experience is among the top HR trends of 2023.
Employee experience encompasses not just experiences while working for the company but also how well they were treated during the hiring and onboarding process.
Compassionate recruitment professionals are employee brand ambassadors. The way they interact with candidates, respectfully or disrespectfully, will impact the companies they represent.
On top of sourcing high-quality candidates, recruitment specialists should safeguard the company’s image among job applicants, especially those who were turned down or rejected the job offer.
Rejected applicants who experienced hostile replies may turn to company review platforms to air out their dissatisfaction. These negative reviews may reach professional networks, damaging employer branding and making it harder for companies to recruit qualified candidates.
Worse, the bad feedback may reach the ones which firms wanted for the job, and, in return, may reject their job offers.
In the age of widespread talent shortages, businesses can’t afford to lose out on candidates due to bad word-of-mouth.
A company’s reputation can be a deal breaker for most potential hires. In fact, 86% say they would only apply for the position if the company has a good reputation.
By partnering with an RPO provider for outsourced recruitment support services, Montana firms are certain that they will be working with compassionate talent acquisition specialists who will safeguard their employee brand.
#3: Speed up time-to-hire by implementing innovative strategies and technologies.
Research shows that landing a single hire requires at least 25 applications. This means every second matters — from the time a firm receives the first application to a job post, to screening the next 24 candidates, down to finally taking the pick.
While it’s wise to take time while screening candidates to avoid hiring out of desperation, recruiters must also bear in mind that there is an ongoing War for Talent. Acting quickly can help avoid situations where your chosen, qualified candidates receive job offers elsewhere because your company took a while to get back to them about their application.
One survey shows that 62% of applicants would turn away from their desired position if they don’t hear from recruiters in two weeks. But at the same time, employers shouldn’t want to rush the recruitment process.
Striking a balance is where an RPO solution plays a significant role.
Generally, an RPO service provider would utilize the latest and most advanced recruitment technologies and software to reduce time-to-hire and streamline the employment process. For instance, they would use talent management systems to pre-screen and auto-score potential candidates in the recruitment funnel. Afterward, organizations can schedule an interview with the best talent based on their application score.
Accessing recruitment technology in-house can be a challenge for many Montana small businesses. As such, one strategic option for them can be to outsource specialist recruitment services to hasten recruitment efforts.
#4: Minimize overall hiring costs.
Taking too much time to move a candidate through the hiring pipeline can lead to excessive recruiting costs.
For one, when nobody does the work, a company loses productivity and potential revenue. Worse, lucrative projects may be put on hold as the company waits to fill vacancies.
Businesses may even delegate shelved projects to existing staff, resulting in employee burnout. In the long run, employees may not see the value in working for the company, causing them to resign — which could further exhaust financial resources.
Recruitment solution specialists can significantly reduce time-to-fill and accelerate the hiring timeline while cutting costs simultaneously. For instance, recruitment process outsourcing firms can condense the talent acquisition process into less than 14 days compared to industry average.
Find Your Ideal Outsourced Recruitment Services in the Philippines
Overcome the HR specialist shortage and address hiring and retention challenges with help from a reliable RPO provider. Ideally, your chosen RPO firm will have access to a massive pool of qualified recruiters, sourcing specialists, and HR professionals. It should help you fill the critical gaps in your workforce and ease your company’s talent acquisition.
Give SuperStaff a call today, so we can work with you in identifying the best way forward for your recruitment and hiring needs.
