As we near the end of 2015, we have the opportunity to look back and learn from the challenges and opportunities of the year and look forward to the coming changes in 2016. In this article, based on an RPOA podcast with Mike Mayeux, CEO of the RPO company Novotus and part 2 of the two-part State of the RPO Industry series, we discuss the state of the RPO industry as we end 2015.
The State of Recruiting
The past year has been one of the most difficult recruiting environments in a while, with time to fill increasing across the board for all recruiting companies. In the RPOA podcast “The state of the RPO industry as we end 2015,” Mike Mayeux of Novotus attributes this increase to the shrinking pool of available talent as well as the increased specialization of talent needs. As roles and positions become more specialized, the pool of talent with the specific expertise or ability needed shrinks. Mayeux adds that managers are being patient in filling roles because they need to wait for the correct skill set to come along, and they know that as the market tightens up, more candidates will appear.
“People don’t respond to email marketing or job boards anymore.”
As the available talent pool for open positions shrinks, the way Americans find work is also undergoing a culture change. Older forms of recruiting are less effective, Mayeux says, because “people don’t respond to email marketing or job boards anymore.” The venues and media that recruiters have used to find and engage with talent are slowing down and becoming less effective, so it has become more common for recruiters to research and identify individual targets and actually call or text them to get a response. Once the recruiter has contacted a candidate and offered them a position, they are also seeing more offer rejects. While this can be frustrating for the individual recruiters, such candidate mobility is actually good for the market as a whole, as that mobility is what drives the recruiting market.
The State of the RPO Industry
According to Mayeux, the RPO industry is on a good track. As he says, “the RPO industry continues to grow. It’s a relatively young industry. I don’t think it’s a baby anymore, it’s an adolescent.” He says that as the industry continues to grow, define itself, and determine what the market wants it be, companies will increasingly recognize the value of partnering with an RPO provider, a shift that has already begun. Mayeux notes that as more companies turn to the RPO industry and recognize the value of partnership with an RPO provider, RPO is becoming more mainstream as a way to find talent. Historically, RPO companies looked for clients that understood the vision of RPO and were willing to take what was considered a risk. Now, companies understand the increased productivity and revenue that come with RPO partnership, and small and midsize companies are starting to enter the RPO partnership space that used to be the domain of only larger companies. These smaller companies, Mayeux says, are looking to work with a single provider to develop a long-term strategy.
“...the RPO industry continues to grow. It’s a relatively young industry. I don’t think it’s a baby anymore, it’s an adolescent.”
RPO Challenges in 2016
The biggest challenge that Mayeux foresees in 2016 stems from the highly competitive nature of the RPO space. The competition between providers to close deals with companies leads them to cut prices to the point that they reduce their staff and ability to fulfill the deal, which hurts the RPO provider, the client company, and the RPO industry as a whole. To avoid this problem, Mayeux says, providers need to staff and equip their programs so they can go out and be successful every time, and buyers need to “hire the RPO who lines up with your values…and really nail down the provider based on capabilities and strengths.” He also emphasizes the importance of chemistry and rapport between the company and RPO provider, saying that “the secret sauce of the program is how well the provider and client collaborate with one another.”
“...the secret sauce of the program is how well the provider and client collaborate with one another.”
