Last week, I discussed the importance of identifying skill gaps needed and eluded that there was more to the story. Have you considered what else is important?
Matching talent to available positions is just half of it. It’s also important to let prospective candidates know about you and what it would be like to work for you. This is where employer branding comes in.
Although employer branding is an emerging service, some providers such as Hays have been helping its clients with this for quite some time. For example, Hays has a 3-year contract with Santander for end-to-end RPO services including employer branding for all Santander U.K. retail locations. Contracts are also beginning to be awarded specifically for employment branding. For example, Alexander Mann Solutions was awarded a contract earlier this year for employment branding and recruitment advertising by U.K.-based E.ON.
Other services that RPO vendors can provide to help with the transition include:
- Outplacement services that include career workshops
- Robust onboarding and retention services such as Ochre House’s “Keep in Touch Program.”
The services that RPO vendors can provide are indeed important. Manpower recently issued its 6th annual Talent Shortage Survey with its findings that a third of employers worldwide can’t find qualified talent despite the over-supply of available workers.
RPO service providers who track and understand the market for talent on a multi-country basis will have the opportunity for an expansion of services into workforce strategic planning and workforce management based on the availability of key skills and capabilities in mature and emerging markets. By leveraging its base of recruiting and staffing expertise and global data, RPO can move into a linchpin position in the talent management supply chain linking learning, career development, mobility, and contingent labor.
RPO vendors are needed more now than ever, and the opportunities for RPO provider growth are as great as the world around us.
Gary Bragar, Lead HRO Analyst, NelsonHall
HRO Insights 
Recent Comments