Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO): What is it & how can it benefit your business?

Despite its worldwide rapid growth for years, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is still relatively new in Vietnam. People keep thinking of RPO as another term for headhunting, staffing, or executive search service. While in fact, RPO covers far wider and brings more benefits than all those outsourcing solutions.

What is Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)?

RPO firms work as an extension of the internal HR department. They manage the whole recruitment process, or sometimes just parts of it – depending on the employers’ specific needs.

With RPO, you can require on-site recruiters with your Talent Acquisition team. You might let them work off-site. Or both practices. Some large HR outsourcing firms, such as Adecco Vietnam, can provide a comprehensive and consistent service at all national, regional, or global level.

Sounds like the traditional recruitment service?

RPO isn’t just finding and placing best-fit talents. Instead, RPO providers design and implement the recruitment process from A to Z. They offer customized and well-thought-out solutions with a wide range of areas, ranging from candidate management, pre-employment screening to employee engagement or employer branding consultancy, etc.

They’re responsible for the outcomes. They focus on the employers’ brand rather than themselves. In short, RPO has a much greater stake in the success of your workforce.

How can RPO benefit your company?
Most importantly, RPO helps you save costs!

Are you spending a fortune on job boards, applicant tracking systems, sourcing tools, hiring technologies, and advertising campaigns?

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, cost-cutting becomes the main concern of most businesses. And as we mentioned in our previous blog “Top HR tips to save cost without laying off”, outsourcing non-core functions is among the best way to do so. When it comes to hiring, use RPO service!

The right provider will dig deep to understand your current hiring process. Then they will advise on ways to streamline your hiring process. They know how to attract top-notch talents. How to enhance the candidate experience. How to build a winning employee retention strategy. Also, how to engage your people.

In short, they know how to deal with your headaches – whatever they are. And as having better hires onboard, you can save HR costs for the long haul.

They scale upon your request

Which means it can always scale up or down to meet your sudden needs.

This ability is especially helpful for retail, delivery, healthcare service, hospitality, or any industry that has shifting demand throughout the year. With the others, business growth and expansion, or the creation of a brand-new department also require a quick response from the RPO team. And in case of reorganizing, downsizing, or hiring freeze, the recruitment team will scale down as needed.

Of course, the quality always stays the same – no matter what happens.

Ensure compliance

RPO - compliance


Have you updated the Vietnam Labor Code 2019 which will come into effect from January 1, 2021?

Penalties and fines hurt your profit and reputation. But always staying on top of legislation changes is a real challenge, even for experienced HR professionals. If you’re running a global business, then it’s much more puzzling to oversee all corners of the world.

Want to take the stress out? Then choose a reliable RPO provider! From the type of labor contracts, insurances to work permits, payroll, and taxes. It’s their expertise to cover all work-related changes and keep everything compliant with the local laws.  

Build and maintain good employer branding

LinkedIn told us that more than 70% of hiring leaders worldwide considered employer branding as a critical factor in the recruitment process. An awesome and unique employer brand makes it easier to recruit, bring you 50% more qualified candidates, 50% less cost-per-hire, and reduce your turnover rate by 28%.

Though greatly profitable, most HR teams are tied up with tons of paperwork and rarely have time to create a truly engaging strategy.

That’s the exact moment in which RPO providers step in. Besides the smooth and constancy in the hiring process, RPO providers also build your image and deliver clear messages about your company as a great place to work. With a better reputation in the marketplace, you can rest assured that talents won’t walk out in the middle of the hiring process

Is RPO the right fit for you?

Are these what you’re facing now?

  • Lengthy hiring process or too long time-to-hire.
  • High turnover rate. Your employees keep leaving and you’re always in the hiring status.
  • Lack of expertise to fill specific roles. How can a recruiter major in Sales hire a Web Developer?
  • Fluctuate hiring demand. Are you having high-volume projects or temporary roles?

Src: Adecco