Why do Some Recruitment Outsourcing Partnerships Fail

Why do Some Recruitment Outsourcing Partnerships Fail Starting a strategic partnership with an Offshore Recruitment Services (ORS) provider is based on the need for staffing firms to remain viable in a highly competitive industry. By utilizing the expertise, knowledge, and experience of an ORS partner staffing firms can lower operating costs, increase productivity and efficiency and provide higher levels of service to clients and candidates all while evolving strategies to engage, attract and secure the very best talent. In most cases, it works like clockwork providing the desired result for both parties, but sometimes partnerships do fail. So, why do some recruitment outsourcing partnerships fail? Often there are signs early on to indicate that there may be some issues ahead or things can start off great and concerns come later. Although nearly all problems within the partnership begin with several mistakes commonly made during the early stage. Clear expectations are not set, and ‘success’ is not defined It is critical, before the partnership commences, to have specific and measurable goals that have a timeframe. Specific is the key word here! Offshore recruitment outsourcing must always produce a measurable return on investment. So, when defining goals, the priority should be to avoid miscommunication and disappointment down the road. If for example, an agency wants to reduce their ‘time to fill’ metric, it is not enough to just set that as the ‘general’ goal. A specific goal would be to reduce time to fill from 80 days to 55 days within 8 months. It is essential to agree on what metrics will be tracked, by whom, when and how often. Also, clarify in what manner reporting data will be generated and delivered; then everyone knows what their role is and what to expect. The change is not managed People can be very resistant to change. When you start a strategic outsourcing partnership although the work is outsourced, that doesn’t mean that the partnership doesn’t need to be managed. Offshore recruitment outsourcing requires regular communication and the outsourcing partner needs to be treated as a valuable part of your team, with the only difference being that one works remotely. It is vital to remind both teams that your outsourcing partner is the voice and face of the company with candidates now and they need all the necessary help and information necessary to this well. Internal processes should mirror your ORS partners’ processes and you need to be available to give regular feedback and to maintain and maximize a two-way relationship. Failure to manage the change can lead to resistance and a lack of adoption of new procedures, unhappy recruiters, failure to achieve goals and ultimately fail of the whole partnership. Lack of an internal champion You will expect your ORS partner to bring a leader to the table to manage your partnership, but you also will also need to have an internal champion to oversee your side of the partnership. This internal champion will need to drive strategic change and act as an advocate for the partnership and manage relationships across your organization including any complaints. This is an ongoing role and is not just necessary for the initial stages. Lack of Patience Although an ORS partner can provide service levels and success metrics that exceed current levels and deliver the best talent quicker and cheaper, it is necessary to understand that patience is the key. To ensure that the Offshore partnership is a success, a proper time frame of around 60 to 90 days needs to be provided to expect positive returns from it. The expectation of Immediate results will guarantee the partnership fails. A true strategic partnership with an Offshore Recruitment Services (ORS) provider can offer more qualified, focused and available candidates and significantly up to 50% cost saving, but to achieve this you really do need to be all in it together. About the author:  Amit Somaiya, co-founder, and CEO of IMS People. He has 21 years of experience in planning and designing of recruitment processes and marketing strategies. He has trained more than 500 executives at middle and senior level management for leading companies. Moreover, he has a penchant and skill in core HR functions, especially the recruitment process. You can follow him on LinkedIn.