At WorkRocket in Richmond, VA, we know that finding and retaining the right talent is one of the toughest challenges for growing businesses. That’s why we’re in the business of recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) and we’re here to explain to you what it is, why it works, and how it can help your organization attract better talent faster, cost-effective and more efficiently.
What Is RPO?
Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is when a company transfers all or part of its recruitment functions to an external partner. This provider manages tasks like sourcing, screening, interviewing, onboarding, and tracking hiring data.
Instead of handling every stage internally, your hiring authorities collaborates with an RPO provider who acts as an extension of your organization. This approach can streamline hiring, reduce costs, and improve candidate quality.
There are two main RPO models:
- End-to-end RPO – The provider manages the full recruitment process from job posting through onboarding.
- Project-based or partial RPO – The provider supports specific hiring needs, such as seasonal surges/hard-to-fill positions or handles all aspects prior to the hiring decision.
Why Businesses Choose RPO
Organizations partner with recruitment process outsourcing providers like WorkRocket for several reasons:
- Scalability: Adjust hiring volume quickly without overburdening your hiring team.
- Speed to hire: Experienced job advertisers and advanced tools reduce time-to-fill.
- Quality of hire: Access to wider candidate networks and structured screening improves outcomes.
- Cost efficiency: RPO can reduce cost-per-hire or overall recruiting overhead. In one case study, we decreased the cost-per-hire by $386 per hire.
- Expertise & Technology: RPO firms bring recruitment marketing know-how, analytics, and technology that many internal teams lack.
- Focus on core priorities: With candidate sourcing and qualifying outsourced, internal teams can focus more on strategy, engagement, and retention.
Additionally, the global RPO market is projected to grow significantly, from about $10.9 billion in 2023 to $33.6 billion by 2030.
Key Components of a Successful RPO Strategy
If you’re evaluating recruitment process outsourcing, here are key components you should review:
A. Strategic alignment
The RPO partner should align with your business goals, culture, employer brand, and workforce plans. They should connect with you and gain a deeper understanding of the needs of your business.
B. Sourcing & employer branding
A quality RPO partner does more than post jobs; they build talent pipelines, promote your brand, engage passive candidates, and use analytics to refine sourcing.
C. Screening, assessment & selection
A strong RPO program includes structured screening, assessments, reference checks, and submission of high-quality candidates.
D. Analytics & continuous improvement
Effective RPO uses metrics (time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, quality-of-hire, retention, candidate satisfaction) and continuously refines sourcing and selection strategies.
E. Flexible model & collaboration
Your internal hiring team and the RPO partner must function as collaborators with shared goals. The model should adapt as your needs evolve.
Benefits of Recruitment Process Outsourcing
Partnering with an RPO firm like WorkRocket delivers clear advantages:
- Reduced time-to-hire and cost-per-hire
- Stronger employer brand and better candidate experience
- Higher quality-of-hire and improved retention
- Greater flexibility and scalability
- Access to industry-specific recruitment marketing expertise
In one of our case studies, we found that our RPO solutions were able to reduce cost-per-hire by over 27%. In the same study, our agency was able to reduce the total spend of the recruitment process by 46.5%.
Real-World Example: RPO in Action
Client Case Study: Gibbs Die Casting Corporation
Gibbs Die Casting Corporation, a leading manufacturer in aluminum die-cast components for automotive and industrial applications, faced ongoing demand for skilled maintenance and production talent. Their internal HR team was heavily burdened with sourcing, screening, and managing communication; especially for high-demand industrial roles. This led to costly delays, inconsistent candidate quality, and lost productivity.
Problem
- Internal hiring for key maintenance roles was time-consuming and inefficient.
- The company lacked dedicated recruiting capacity to source and screen qualified applicants at scale.
- Hiring managers needed a reliable pipeline of talent without sacrificing internal hiring team bandwidth.
WorkRocket’s RPO Solution
- WorkRocket delivered its “Launchpad with Telephone Screening” service: advertising, sourcing, and phone-screening candidates before passing them to Gibbs.
- The RPO approach tailored to Gibbs’s specific maintenance talent needs; WorkRocket pre-qualified applicants based on the company’s indicated requirements.
- Weekly performance monitoring and a streamlined process meant Gibbs could focus on selection and onboarding rather than front-end recruiting.
Results (over three targeted campaigns)
- Generated 55 qualified applicants and achieved 4 successful hires.
- Achieved an average cost per hire of $2,249.25, a fraction of traditional recruiting fees.
- Saved 37 hours of internal hiring time, freeing HR to focus on strategic initiatives.
- Improved candidate quality and reduced the burden on in-house HR staff, enabling the manufacturing team to focus on production and operations rather than sourcing.
Why This Matters
This case study shows how recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) can deliver measurable improvements in time-to-hire, cost efficiency, and recruiting bandwidth, even in a high-volume, high-skill industrial context. For companies facing similar talent-acquisition challenges, leveraging an RPO partner like WorkRocket means:
- A tailored pipeline of pre-qualified talent
- Better alignment between role needs and candidate skills
- Freed internal resources for higher-value HR strategy and engagement
- More predictable hiring outcomes and reduced hidden recruiting costs
Is RPO Right for Your Organization?
You should seriously consider recruitment process outsourcing if:
- You are growing quickly, opening new locations, or scaling hiring volume upward.
- You are struggling to fill roles in a timely manner or your cost-per-hire and turnover are too high.
- Your internal hiring
- You want access to recruiting specialists, technology, and best-practice processes without building everything in-house.
- You value improved candidate experience, employer brand, and desire a proactive talent pipeline rather than reactive job postings.
Recruitment process outsourcing may not be ideal if your organization already has a large pipeline of potential candidates or if you employ a large recruitment team.
How do WorkRocket’s Services Differ from Traditional RPO?
At WorkRocket, our services include all the typical benefits of recruitment process outsourcing, but we are not a traditional RPO firm. Many traditional RPO firms will place bids on your company’s entire book of recruitment. At WorkRocket, you pay a flat fee up front for the exact services you need. You have the flexibility to choose only the services that you need while receiving all of the same benefits you would get from a traditional RPO firm.
Why Choose WorkRocket for Recruitment Process Outsourcing
As a Richmond, VA based recruitment marketing partner, WorkRocket provides scalable, data-driven recruitment solutions for companies across manufacturing, engineering, construction, logistics, and more.
We bring:
- Deep regional knowledge and national reach
- Proven performance metrics and process transparency
- Customized RPO models to fit your specific business needs
- Seamless collaboration with your existing hiring and operations teams
Whether you need to fill one position or 50, WorkRocket’s RPO model delivers faster results, higher quality hires, and measurable ROI.
Getting Started with RPO at WorkRocket
Step 1: Schedule a discovery call with our team to assess your current hiring process.
Step 2: Define your goals and scope of outsourcing.
Step 3: Implement a tailored RPO plan with clear performance metrics.
Step 4: Monitor progress and adjust to optimize results.
Conclusion
Recruitment process outsourcing is more than a cost-saving measure; it’s a strategic investment in hiring smarter, faster, and more effectively. For organizations in Richmond, VA and across the U.S., partnering with WorkRocket means gaining a team of recruitment experts dedicated to your success.
If your company is ready to explore a better way to hire, let’s talk!
Phone: (804) 332-6396
Email: info@workrocket.com