If you’re not familiar with Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), it may seem intimidating at first. One common concern: Will I lose control over recruiting? The short answer is no. In fact, we’ve found most RPO users feel they actually have greater control over their recruitment. Even more encouraging, we learned companies using RPO partner services are about 40% more likely to establish an effective talent pipeline for their open positions. In today’s competitive job market, this type of strategic partnership can make all the difference.

Here’s one reason RPO works so well: It’s customizable – you can go big or go small. You can ask for specialized help over the long term or take a quick, focused seasonal approach. In this blog, we’ll explain how you can outsource only what you need with RPO.

RPO That Adapts to You – Not the Other Way Around

RPO isn’t an all-or-nothing approach. You can outsource specific parts of your recruitment process while keeping others in-house. For example, some organizations rely on RPO partners to manage sourcing and screening, while their internal teams handle interviewing and onboarding. Others may use RPO only for hard-to-fill or high-volume roles.

Here’s a good place to start: Create a list of your pain points. What aspects of your internal processes are slowing you down? What’s simply not working? If you had a magic wand, what would you want fixed right away? This list will help you determine what you might want outsourced via RPO.

Whether you need short-term support for a hiring surge or a long-term strategy to build a stronger talent pipeline, RPO can be scaled up or down to match your priorities.

How RPO Evolves with Changing Needs

Flexibility is what makes RPO so effective across different industries and growth stages. You can start small, focus on the areas where you need the most help, and expand as your needs change.

Here’s a real-life example of how EG worked in stages as a client’s priorities evolved:

Our client is a leader in premium poultry products that faced challenges in attracting and retaining talent in a competitive labor market. It was dealing with high turnover, lack of employer branding, and low market recognition. Its first priority – tackling immediate recruiting needs with EG’s support. EG deployed an RPO model to stabilize hiring, implemented an applicant tracking system (ATS), and provided SourceSmart support to streamline internal processes. Next priority – addressing broader HR challenges such as branding, marketing efforts, and employee engagement. EG introduced EmBrand and Engage, then partnered with the company’s HR team on leadership development and overall talent strategy. Here are the results for this client:

• Reduced turnover, leading to higher retention and workforce stability
• Cost savings through better retention and more efficient recruitment
• Significantly improved Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS), indicating stronger employee engagement

This is an example of how RPO works flexibly – so you only outsource what you need, when you need it.

The Complete Guide to Recruitment Process Outsourcing

Another Flexible Option for Hiring Smarter

For companies that don’t want the commitment of a full RPO, there is another flexible option now available from EG – SourceSmart®. This is a tech-enabled hiring solution that provides custom sourcing strategies for seasonal, project, and permanent roles. SourceSmart is perfect for:

• Teams with recruiters they love, but they need better ATS and technical tools to help them be successful
• De-centralized talent acquisition and recruitment marketing approaches
• Teams looking for a better approach to tracking candidates and recruiter performance
• Talent acquisition teams managing high-volume or hourly roles
• HR leaders who need expert hiring support – without the complexity of fully outsourcing
• Teams who are struggling to find a larger quantity of qualified candidates

Some of the key benefits of SourceSmart: Reduced job board spending, better talent pipelines, user-friendly tools, and expert hiring support and recruiter training where you need it.

Find What Works Best for You

Here’s the bottom line – every organization has its own unique needs. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Before making a judgment call on whether RPO or SourceSmart might work for you, let’s talk. Our team can walk you through the options, answer your questions, and help you determine the right level of support to meet your goals.

To make that conversation even more valuable, we’ve launched new tools to help you explore your potential savings and market insights upfront. Check out our interactive RPO Cost Savings Calculator – it’s free! We are also offering a free custom labor market analysis. You’ll get insights on your market to help you attract and retain the best talent – so you don’t lose them to a competitor. Contact an EG talent strategist to start the conversation!