A Career in RPO: Part I

What is RPO?

Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is the transfer of all or part of the recruitment process to an external partner on an ongoing basis. It is a very common service utilized by leading companies in the United States and Europe. In Japan, however, adoption of RPO has been slower but is quickly gaining pace. Why is that?

RPO is perhaps the truest form of “recruitment consulting.” As specialists in recruitment, RPO firms work closely with their clients to identify recruitment pain points and bottlenecks in the hiring process in order to craft solutions to improve and optimize hiring performance. RPO firms act as true partners to their clients and support parts or even the entire, end-to-end hiring process.

Simply put, RPO helps organizations hire more efficiently and reliably (and at a lower cost!).

COVID-19 has certainly changed the world as we know it and the recruitment space is no exception. With all these changes, more and more companies are showing interest in RPO.

Benefits of a Career in RPO

When considering your options for a career in recruitment, traditionally there were only two options: agency and in-house/internal work. In either case, recruiters had to entrust their career advancement and skill development to one single company. Through RPO, recruiters are now able to rapidly increase their recruitment experience through exciting projects at a wide range of leading companies spanning various industries.

Let’s Consider the Benefits of a Career in RPO:

1. The greatest appeal of RPO is that you can become a true “recruitment specialist.” By contributing to diverse projects and experiencing hiring at exciting companies both large and small, you will gain a thorough understanding of recruitment at a pace more rapid than ever possible. The experience you gain will undoubtedly have a huge impact on your recruitment career.
2. RPO is rapidly gaining ground in the HR space. In the new normal, interpersonal connections have been pushed to the sideline with the rapid adoption of remote work. RPO allows you to gain back these important skills that will set you apart from the crowd.
3. Through multiple projects, you will be introduced to diverse and exciting experiences. There will never be a boring day as you absorb new company cultures and lead hiring first-hand.
4. RPO’s focus is purely talent acquisition. As such, you will be fully immersed in hiring and will have the opportunity to learn the latest, most innovative recruitment methods. You will be on the cutting edge of recruitment and will not just adopt but will actually create new best practices.

What Other Options Are There?

Agency recruitment is based on introducing candidates for a profit. As such, there is a strong sales aspect that is not always optimal for both the client company and candidate. Oftentimes, agency recruiters are subject to excessive quotas. However, there is definitely something to be said about the thrill of making a sale.

Temporary (haken) recruitment gigs are great if you prefer flexible, short-term work arrangements. However, if you are serious about taking your recruitment skills to the next level, you may want to consider RPO.

As you can see, there are a number of career options for recruiters looking to take the next step in their professional journey. Now is the time to consider your options at this exciting juncture in your career. Perhaps RPO is the opportunity you’ve been searching for all along!

Let’s Talk About Careers

As it may be difficult to see the road ahead during this time of great change, it is only natural to feel some anxiety about your next step. Selecting the right opportunity that will allow you to thrive and excel is no easy feat.

The range of career opportunities in the human resources space is ever expanding.

What kind of career do you envision for yourself? Please let me know!