Process Management Vs Talent Acquisition

So you think you’ve got Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) down to a tee? You may need to think again. Outsourcing a process is not the same as outsourcing an activity.

The outsourcing of process management is effectively outsourcing the administration of the recruitment process, which should bring improvements in process compliance and visibility whilst allowing an organisation to better utilise their own resources.

If the stated aim of recruitment is simply to fill a role, then a process – a series of steps taken to achieve an end – might help you achieve this. On that basis, recruitment has happened when a vacancy is filled, regardless of whether the individual hired actually contributes to the success of the business.

Unfortunately, if you think the end goal of recruitment is just to fill a role then you are mistaken. How many recruitment departments have “fill jobs” as their mission statement? Not very many – one hopes. The benefits of outsourcing process management fall a long way short of what should be achieved by outsourcing recruitment to the experts.

Let’s speculate that the aim of recruitment is to add talent to an organisation that undeniably contributes to the success of a business endeavour. I’m talking about Talent Acquisition – a purpose not a process – to source, attract, assess and acquire the very best people for an organisation.

Of course the function of recruitment is underpinned by a process or processes, but its contribution to an organisation far exceeds that of following a series of steps to achieve an end. Outsourcing your recruitment ought to be the first part of that much sought after trilogy of talent (acquisition, development and management), a combination that, when properly aligned, results in an organisation achieving ‘our people are our greatest asset’ – rather than just saying it!

Put simply, outsourcing recruitment should not focus purely on the process itself but on the art of acquiring talent. If your recruitment function does not put talent and the experience of the candidate above all things then your employer brand will suffer.

Recruitment began with the military and dates all the way back to the ancients when quantity rather than quality was the goal. Nowadays, in the face of what can be best described as an uncertain economic climate, the quality of your current and future workforce might just mean the difference between success and failure.

Written by Simon Blockley