RPO Partners and Executive Buy-Ins: A Necessary Relationship

“In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield.” – Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

If you ever considered outsourcing your recruitment process, you would likely know the benefits that recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) holds. Knowing that having RPO partners on your side is only half the battle. The other half is having executive buy-ins. However, to understand the importance and the relationship between executive buy-in and recruitment process outsourcing, you need to ask yourself: Why?

In this article, we will dive into why executive buy-ins matter. We will also look at some common concerns surrounding RPO services, and so on. Most crucially, we will be looking at how you could present the benefits of an RPO to executives in a convincing manner. So, without further delay, let’s get into it!

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What Makes Executive Buy-Ins So Important?

When you have executives on your side, more specifically, when you have their interests aligned with your RPO partners and their services, it ensures a proper budget. This means that you will have the necessary resources to allocate to your current and even future organizational and talent needs. The fact of the matter is, RPO services are more than just hiring the right people, it is a full A-to-Z service. In the eyes of an executive, this may seem to be a money pit or a cash drainer. However, when you consider the positive effects on the business as a whole over the long term, then the advantages far outweigh the immediate costs to the company.

While hiring the right candidates and giving you that top-tier talent is the end goal of an RPO, it is only a part of the services they deliver.

Some Points of Hesitation that Executives Might Have About RPOs

While hiring the right candidates and giving you that top-tier talent is the end goal of an RPO, it is only a part of the services they deliver. This can be a cause for concern for executives and they could get hung up on the day-to-day functionality of the RPO provider. The ‘what if’ tends to be the biggest concern around each hiring goal.

However, you need not worry too much. Before anything else, your RPO partners will sit down with you and establish service-level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) that both parties find reasonable. As you move forward with the process, RPO partners makes sure to provide regular KPI reports that matter most to executives. So really, you can set the stage for the whole game as per your and your executives’ needs.

The other great thing about maintaining an RPO partnership is that the service provider will offer you great strategic advice. They help you make adjustments to the process throughout the partnership. This level of flexibility and adaptability is something that you can use to quench most of the doubts that executives might harbour.

“Never invest in a business you can’t understand.“ – Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

How to Pitch an RPO Partnership/Benefits to Executives

Most HR and talent acquisition specialists know the value of a good hire in the long run. However, communicating those facts up the flag pole may seem a little intimidating at times. What you need to keep in mind is that with every RPO partnership comes the advantage of the adage, ‘work smarter not harder’. Keep this in mind going forward. Speaking of which here are a few key ways in which you can better your chances at convincing the executives.

#1: Back Up Your Claims with Data

Now, you can harp and preach all you want about how great RPOs are. None of that matters to an executive if you can’t back it up with numbers. You need to communicate the driving need and the value with data. You can refer to data collected over the past few years regarding the hires made, the turnover rate and see where an RPO provider can help you improve. Having the problem and the solution in cold hard numbers is a very business-savvy approach that executives will appreciate.

#2: A Major Source for Sourcing

When you position RPO partners as a holistic solution to sourcing critical talent functions, then that pushes the buy-in. Canada as a country has high demand, but that doesn’t mean these demands are being met at the expected standard at all times. There are skill gaps in the industry and an ever-changing market, it becomes a priority to find top talent. It also ties into an earlier issue we discussed, which was meeting KPIs. Presenting the RPO as an entity that can do both will make it a prime choice for executives who have KPIs as their top priority.

This is especially true when we consider the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and the struggles that it brought upon the sourcing sector. Bringing in an entity that has the capacity and agility to navigate these tumultuous waters is a big bonus!

Highlighting the RPO provider as a partner who wants to become a part of your company culture in the long term, vs an immediate transactional service giver will work wonders in boosting investor confidence.

#3: Check If the Company is Ready to Invest in People

At the end of the day, an RPO provider is in the business of people. They invest time, money, and resources in finding the right people for the right job and building bridges. You need to check if your company executives are at that point in the business where they are looking to invest in people for long-term gains, or just a quick low-cost solution. If the executives are looking for the latter, it could cause significant road bumps as the partnership progresses.

#4: Frame Your RPO Provider as a Partner, Not a Service

Yes, they do provide a service, but highlighting the RPO provider as a partner who wants to become a part of your company culture in the long term, vs an immediate transactional service giver will work wonders in boosting investor confidence. You need to show them that they are not just here to do a job, they are here to improve the company overall and in the long run, it is well worth the effort and capital. One way to effectively do this is to highlight all the consultative benefits that RPO partners brings to the table such as insights, market data, access to a wide talent pool, and the latest in AI technolog

“A lot of people do not invest in business…the invest in ‘busy-ness’ (they purchase a job).“ – Robert Kiyosaki, Founder of Rich Global LLC and the Rich Dad Company

#5: Drive Home the Diversity Point

More and more companies these days are looking to improve the level of diversity in their workplace. They want more inclusion practices. Luckily, RPO providers are experts in that. Executives will be happy to invest in an RPO partnership once they know that the provider can give them all this while still integrating it into and spearheading the operation success of the business. Knowing that there is a possibility to improve the employer branding and image of the company, will be a turning point in the quest to convince them.

At the end of the day, executive buy-ins happen when the higher-ups are convinced that there will be results. Your ability to pinpoint the values of partnering with an RPO provider, their ability to source strategies, and the continuous evolution of the business will be the determining factor if this takes off.