5 myths about recruitment outsourcing
Jody Robie – SVP, Talent Works
It has been a long time coming. As I was standing in a packed room filled with HR professionals in downtown Boston, it felt good to be back at DisruptHR. There were some great sessions and a renewed energy about the future of HR especially in Boston. After working in the space in Boston for close to 20 years, the chance to connect in person was fantastic.
It has been an interesting time to be in HR – Gone are the days of having the luxury of planning out your HR Strategy on an annual basis. Our teams have had to not only be traditional HR leaders but also experts in Mental Health, DE&I, Public Health/Vaccine initiatives, and Real Estate negotiators. The speakers had a chance to share the new trends we are seeing such as embracing remote healthcare, appreciating the need to focus on candidate experience, and sharing the perceptions we give to introverts in today’s workplace. We heard about the realities of moving a global organization to the next level and the importance of recognizing how we communicate – down to the comma, ellipses or exclamation point. I shared the following about the realities of outsourcing…
Myth #1 – Outsourcing recruitment will ruin our culture
Outsourcing equals expertise
- Your company culture is stronger than you realize
- Teams will learn your culture, support your hiring managers and not need to “fake” expertise
- You won’t need to rely on internal teams for niche experience they may have lost while covering all roles. ( i.e. Technical, Clinical, C-Suite)
Myth #2 – Outsourcing recruitment is more expensive
Outsourcing is more efficient
- In this variable market, it is easy to put a hold on or limit to FTEs – but is that really what the business needs?
- Hiring managers can plan commercially for a specific resource for them and their department(s)
- Without the pressure of sign-on bonuses, full benefits, etc. you are just paying for the recruitment/outsourcing help you need – when you need it
- The risk of over-hiring and then down-sizing can be quantified in $ cost and the damage to your reputation as an employer
Myth #3 – You lose your identity
You validate your reputation as an employer
- Hearing external perceptions from passive candidates is the best way to take a quick pulse check on what candidates think about your company, your process or your history – get rid of the skeletons in the closet
- Help you need – when you need it
- Having experts trained in your company culture gives clarity about who you are and why someone should join
- Inhouse creative teams can build out, validate and activate your employer brand to meet TA needs not just cosmetically
Myth #4 – I’ll be trapped with a resource I don’t need
Your team will have a scalable secret weapon
- Just like the days of 3-year Monster contracts, today’s outsourcers offer flexible, short-term options
- Teams can flex up and down with a clear plan of support
- Resources can shift – from EMEA to US and back if the roles/talent needs to shift with the market
Myth #5 – I’ll lose my job or my team
Outsourcing doesn’t always mean REPLACEMENT – why your team will be onboard:
The team you have is overworked and under resourced – done right, outsourcing gives you…
- The ability to have your team work on what they do best, NOT everything
- The chance to develop and move your team to other roles within HR
- The ability to manage the recruitment process without physically needing to own every requisition
- Respect and support from leadership and hiring managers who are getting the support they need – regardless of your internal team constraints
- Reporting and insights to help understand the market
