Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) involves an employer turning the responsibility of finding potential job candidates over to a third-party service provider. An outgrowth of business process outsourcing (BPO), the recruitment process outsourcing method is designed to bring qualified candidates to a potential employer with minimal involvement from HR staff. An employer looking to fill open positions could sign a contract with a recruitment process outsourcing firm, giving it responsibility to find, screen and assess suitable candidates.
Recruitment process outsourcing is primarily used by medium and large-sized companies and is often a popular choice for employers needing talent acquisition in specialized or technical areas. In a tight labor market where it can be difficult to attract potential new employees, RPO can bring different perspectives, skills and attention to the problem, while, at the same time, freeing HR staff to focus on internal tasks.
