Comments on: Recruitment Value Insourcing Delivers Where RPO Fails

By: Leslie Morgan

Leslie Morgan — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 04:21:04 +0000

I’ve been involved not only in this kind of discussion for years but actually working in the trenches. My key learning is there is a severe shortage of recruitment professionals who actually have the skills and experience to evaluate and implement an in-sourced or blended solution. I’ve done it and several times. Better results, happier internal clients, more control, ownership of all the data (a couple hundred thousand resumes is VALUABLE), ability to gather and evaluate data and work to continually improve….and at a fraction of the alternative costs.

It’s a beautiful thing.

By: Keith Halperin

Keith Halperin — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 22:41:28 +0000

Thanks, Fraser. If a company can afford to pay an internal headhunter a reasonable percentage compensation to what s/he could make at an executive search firm or as an independent,it makes a great deal of sense to hire someone internally FT. However a company shouldn’t expect to get $250k/yr-quality headhunting for $100k/yr…

Cheers,

Keith

By: Dave Nerz

Dave Nerz — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 12:01:23 +0000

I have a concern with the broad brushed approach to recruitment indicating that contingent recruiters don’t do headhunting and that headhunters don’t do work opening like contingent recruiters.

The result delivered is often more about the investment an employer is willing to make to find the best of the best talent rather than the label being placed on the recruiting professional that does the search.

Contingent recruiters and RPO services have the ability to find talent in many different ways. Most can and do modify their process but will not do so unless there is an economically reasonable payoff. Headhunters do not return payment to employers when they have fast or easy close to opening. Contingent and RPO should not be expected to provide exhaustive searches for jobs when their payoff my be minimal and the effort expended tremendous.

If you are talking about “contingency recruiters” as a model the model is evolving more quickly that you might realize. More and more “contingent recruiters” are creating new blended models for key roles and key clients. These are contingent searches on steroids. There might be a higher payoff, a limited time exclusive, a container/retainer, an up front engagement fee or many other options. These are still contingent recruiters doing a contingent search with a slight modification.

By: Morgan Hoogvelt

Morgan Hoogvelt — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 22:08:31 +0000

Great article and great points. We currently utilize a hybrid model where we outsource our individual contributor level roles to an RPO; typically these are high turnover positions.

We then have a small internal team focused on manager and above positions and we execute each position as you mentioned above – search firm style. So in fact, we have a small executive search firm built in.

Outsourcing does take a bad wrap and in fact, when it is not done correctly, or the model is chosen for the wrong reasons – sure it can fail. However, if the RPO model is chosen for the right reasons AND the right RPO partner is identified and selected, the model can work very well as in our case.

By: Fraser Hill

Fraser Hill — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 21:31:36 +0000

Thank you Ty – I appreciate your feedback. I’m not sure if HRBP’s are caught up in their self promotional activities – narcissistic characters exist in all functions of organizations but I think that’s more of a personality defect found in certain (few)individuals rather than across a particular function.

I agree that one of the many intertwined issues that lead to this is to do with the relationship between HR and the business. Not in all organizations, but I think for many we still live in a world full of more optimism than reality (about HR’s place in the boardroom hierarchy)and despite the HR function becoming so much more strategic over the years, it still doesn’t have the voice or seat at the table that we’d all like to think it has (with exception of course).

I think more could certainly be done to educate the business in a way they can understand about the value over cost conundrum, and HRBP’s would play a key role in doing this.

By: Fraser Hill

Fraser Hill — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 20:41:26 +0000

Linda – thanks for your kind comment. Keep fighting the battle! :)

By: Ty Chartwell

Ty Chartwell — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 19:39:46 +0000

Good article Fraser. Completely agree w you and i see the problem as one that exists because most CHRO’s and SeniorHRBP’s don’t have a clue or are so caught up in their self-promitional activities, that they won’t support something that might get too much pushback from the business leaders.

By: Linda Brenner

Linda Brenner — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 18:51:09 +0000

Very well done, Fraser. It’s a battle that we, too, see regularly – the idea that outsourcing will fix problems that are broad and deep.