Finding top candidates for your business has never been the easiest task. The development of online recruitment and communication has increased the complications and difficulty of navigating the job market for both talent and employers. 

One way to solve hiring problems within a business is to establish an in-house recruitment system. However, for many SMEs, this is not a viable option as resources aren’t available. Recruiting strong and consistent employees regularly involves a lot of time and effort to complete necessary tasks, like DBS checks and the interview process. This is why so many organisations, from SMEs to corporate companies, outsource their recruitment operations.

This blog will uncover the pros and cons of outsourcing your recruitment process, so you can make a rounded decision on how to tackle your hiring challenges.

Pros of Recruitment Outsourcing

The first positive when outsourcing recruitment, is that it can be significantly cheaper than organising and maintaining your own recruitment operation. This is especially if you don’t already have a solid hiring process in place. 

Outsourcing your recruitment efforts can also increase the speed and efficiency of hiring. Outside recruiters have the reach and specialisation to find strong talent that may be inaccessible to internal HR teams. As it is their own job, not only are they experts at it, but they can get the job done quickly.

The reach and specialisation of recruitment agencies are their key strengths, but they also have vast databases full of applications and candidate information. This information can be analysed and examined to find the most suitable talent for the role. They therefore can be the key to success within your business.

Cons of Recruitment Outsourcing

No one really wants to rely on another company for an important business process; the potential vulnerabilities this partnership creates are understandable concerns. To combat this, you need to find and work with a reputable recruitment agency where you can build a trusting and long standing relationship. 

As recruitment agencies are external to your business, they may not be acquainted with your processes and requirements and it could result in the quality of the candidates fluctuating. It’s incredibly important to develop a great relationship with your recruiter and give them a comprehensive list of what you need in an applicant. By working closely with them, you increase the chance of a perfect hiring match.

Another vulnerability, and possible negative aspect, when it comes to outsourcing recruitment, is data security. You need to make the most of your partnership with them, and this includes sharing internal data. Data breaches are becoming a real threat across many industries now the digital world is evolving. It’s important to look for recruiting agencies that will keep your data confidential.

Conclusion

It’s vital to take the time to find the right recruitment agency for your business and its needs, and then after this, make the first steps to developing a trusting relationship with them.

Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) will suit your business based on its structure and business model but good recruitment agencies will have an impeccable client portfolio and reviews that you can assess. You need to remember that you can’t entirely outsource the recruitment process, final checks, interviews, and DBS checks will need to be overseen by you.