In short, if you can find and keep the right people, contract recruiters are an attractive option in terms of cost, particularly if your hiring deadlines are more flexible.

Option 2: Agency recruiters. If you wish to use this recruitment model, ideally your organization will have a pre-approved panel of suppliers. If not, put a little bit of time into vetting the suppliers or get ready to manage some variable performance. In the US recruitment agencies typically cost 15-25% of the first year salary depending on the type of role, so they represent a significant investment decision. 

If you go down the agency path, you’ll also have to decide whether to give the project to one company or many. Both options come with their trade-offs. Multiple providers mean you potentially have lots of people out their scouting for you, however, what you don’t control is the amount of time they spend on your jobs. You also end up with multiple relationships to manage and more people to educate which can be time consuming. On the positive side you may benefit from the competitive dash to fill your roles. You also have the option of handpicking different suppliers for different role types. This type of specialization can be a plus, but it typically also comes at a premium. If you hand the work over to one provider you should get better commitment and project management but just be sure to check your supplier has a true project methodology. A lot of agencies tend to work more on a role by role basis which differs greatly from managing volumes via a campaign.

Option 3: RPO provider. In this scenario, the RPO provider is used as an extension of your team or even a SWAT team in some cases. The model gives you more flexibility in what you outsource e.g. you can outsource the end-to-end process or just the parts of the recruitment process that are causing bottlenecks eg sourcing or screening only. In this respect the model can be flexible in terms of complementing your existing resources. It’s a common solution used by start-ups who don’t have their own recruitment infrastructure and large complex business eg global pharma, banking, financial services, as they restructure, launch new products or relocate workforces.

RPO providers will work on a project basis rather than charge a percentage of fees, which can be less than half the price of the agency model even at small volumes of 10 or more roles. There is also a project methodology which means recruiter activity can be prioritized according to the business need ie most effort on the most critical and pressing roles. The downside of an RPO solution is that you will have to commit to one provider for a particular service, so you need to be confident in their ability to deliver. There may also be the occasional role that requires a unique specialization so some combination of RPO plus agency may represent the ultimate solution.

3. Gaming

By using gamification, job seekers regularly engage with your brand and share that experience with their peers. An early adopter in this innovative recruiting tool is Marriott, which uses a hotel-themed online game to engage customers and potential employees. This is a fun way to interest and attract candidates to your organisation. It also enables you to test aptitude and cultural fit via games that match the organisational ethos.

4. Talent Pools

Using Talent pools is not innovative recruiting, but the way you build and engage with your candidate pool could be. Having a Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) strategy is essential for success. Understanding what content is of interest, what will engage your audience and how often they would like to communicate will allow you to build your relationship with those targeted candidates as well as developing the employer brand over a period of time in their minds. Social media engagement is imperative with 2012 UK CandE Awards reporting that almost 50 percent of candidates have already had contact with a company prior to applying for a job. More importantly, one in 10 are following organisations on social media. Be prepared to participate in the conversations because social media is best when developed as a two-way conversation.

5. Outsourcing

Whilst recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) has been around for a while, the act of outsourcing all or part of your recruitment process can be innovative, especially in terms of quality and cost control. The cost-of-hire is reduced, and you gain access to a pool of recruitment specialists covering most role types. Add to that the commitment of the RPO to build talent pools using the latest strategies and techniques. An example of this is the Hudson 20:20 series.

Your people are the key ingredient in any business. Attract and engage them through these innovative recruiting tips, and get a head start over your competition.

Speed - Spending countless hours searching for candidates is time consuming, taking your attention away from the business. Another benefit of working with an RPO provider is to offer a simpler, more efficient solution. By cutting down on unnecessary research, and handing it to an RPO specialist, Hiring Managers, HR and Candidates receive a tailored delivery model with defined metrics and an expedited process and you take back your time.

Process Management- Perhaps most importantly, RPO providers take on tedious activities associated with hiring. The small things, often overlooked by many businesses, are kept in check. They develop a customized program, strategies and manage quality control for campaigns and candidate sourcing so you don't have to.

Compliance - From an EEOC, OFCCP and Process perspective the hiring system should be built around your goals and objectives, possess defined Service Level Agreements (SLA) and possess a governance model to ensure the programs results are accomplished and that each requisition and their activity levels are acceptable.

High-Touch - RPO solutions provide white-glove service to both hiring managers and candidates, with exceptional attention to detail only available from educated providers. Campaigns are monitored for efficiency and RPO providers keep your business well-informed of the incremental successes in their campaigns. A candidates experience in your hiring process can make the difference if they select your company or a competitor. A holistic approach to ensure all interactions with the candidate, your social media presence, career site and more tell the candidate how they'll be treated as an employee, your RPO provider should be able to evaluate your current program and offer process enhancements or a hiring process re-design to provide a best-in-class hiring program.

Hudson can help find a solution for your recruitment process outsourcing needs. Contact us today.