As a small woman owned business, providing outsourced HR and Recruiting solutions for the public and private sector, it might appear to some that the mere title of this article would be considered a form of blasphemy. It might also appear that I am suggesting that there could actually be a “problem” in partnering with our organization to assist with your outsourced HR and Recruiting needs. To be clear, that is NOT what I am suggesting. Here at Helios we pride ourselves on operating with intention. As such, I am intentionally suggesting that while we are the best outsourced HR and Recruiting solution for many organizations, with full disclosure, we are simply not the best outsourced solution for every organization.
This does not only apply to Helios though, the same can be said for many organizations providing a similar service. Why you might ask? The answer is simple. With varying industries, company sizes, and organizational structures, there is no one size fits all outsourced HR or Recruiting model so there is also not a company that can offer such as a solution. There are different strokes for different folks and what is viewed as a great solution to some might be problematic for others.
With the outsourced recruiting model specifically, there are countless potential problems that could arise in both new and established organizations. Understanding that, below are just a few potential problems that our team of dynamic Recruiting Consultants typically addresses prior to each client engagement meeting.
Potential Problems with an Outsourced Recruiting Model:
- COST: The rates of outsourced recruiting firms do vary that of a temporary or staffing agency that provides a more generic service. For budget conscious companies looking to fill entry level positions quickly, a temporary or staffing firms firm may be a good option. On the other side, companies looking to make a key personnel direct placement hire, it is worth considering utilizing resources that engage specialized consultants who will act as an extension of their organization and cater to their need.
- PERSONAL INTERACTION: As a consultant, I typically work from a location other than the client site. As such, I often have countless phone calls with multiple managers and decision makers within the client organization. While the work location leads to increased efficiency and focus, I have very few face to face meetings and very little in-person interaction with those managers and decision makers. For some client organizations that is stark contrast to what they have been accustomed to in the past and it is difficult to build a “virtual” relationship for and with them. Leading to our next potential problem…
- COMMUNICATION (or lack thereof): As the saying goes “Out of sight, out of mind”, and because I am typically working from a location outside of the client organization, often times the communication is not as fluent as it might be if I were a constant physical presence. As such, recruiting can be inadvertently pushed to the bottom of the “To Do” lists when it comes to providing me high priority information. Problematic? Most definitely! When hiring a new employee, the process needs to run like a well-oiled machine, any breaks in communication are like missing parts and with missing parts things are bound to slip through the cracks. Fortunately, I have learned to manage both the recruiting process and my clients in an order to keep them on track and produce the top quality candidates in a timely and efficient manner.
Potential problems arise even in the soundest of organizations. To that, add an organization that is experiencing some inner turmoil and the “potential” problem turns into a most definite one. When engaging an outsourced solution, specialized or generic, keep in mind that you get what you pay for. Be open to change and be flexible with your availability. In turn, your recruiting solution will work better for your organization!