RPO a new business word in the raise - is it true?

[Sathya]

RPO a new business mantra for Indian business heads

After the business process outsourcing and knowledge process outsourcing boom, the corporate sector in India is steadily gearing up for a new concept - RPO, that is recruitment process outsourcing. It aims at taking the burden out of the head-hunting business of the corporate sector.

"There has been a sudden surge of demand for candidates as the job scenario in the country looks in a good shape. So, we have come up with our team of recruiters to bridge this gap between demand and supply," says Vipul Prakash, partner of a firm handling recruitments.

While the RPO concept has taken a healthy shape in the Western countries, in India however, there are only a few RPO firms currently catering to the needs of various domestic as well as multi-nationals in hiring employees for them.

The milch cow for Indian KPOs

"The RPO sector in India is currently at its infant stage. Our clients need higher quality with increased efficiency. For that reason, forecasting must be done in the market," says Harish Bhattiprolu, director of a Hyderabad-based company.

Headquartered in the US with 1600 clients worldwide, the firm has been operating in India since the last one-and-half-years, having a client base of 16 companies in the country.

"We have developed a multi-channel sourcing strategy along with structured interview tools to tap the right kind of applicants for various positions. Most importantly, we share the risks involved in hiring a candidate with our clients," Harish says.

IT, finance, banking, pharmacy, life sciences, retailing are some of the areas these companies are currently providing their services to.

"As these are the sectors where there is a sudden surge of demand for candidates, we are catering to their needs," says Harish of Kenexa Technology.

"In the changing job scenario, no employee sticks in an organisation for more than two years. That is the reason why companies spend a lot of money and time in hiring the required human resource. There comes the need for RPO firms which act as the specialised consulting firm for recruitments," says Vipul Prakash of Elixier Web Solutions.

Currently operating in Delhi and Pune, Elixier has marketing offices in the US, UK, Canada and Australia.

"Corporates aspiring to build large talent pools within a short period of time are at a loss when it comes to assessing and selecting resumes. Kenexa gives the companies the bandwidth to select the right talent from the resume pool," says Harish.

An RPO firm directly goes to the employers with the right kind of professionals, starting from a fresher to filling up the position of a well-experienced director.

"Many international companies are opening up their offices in the country and looking for professionals to handle their operations. We serve their needs by providing them with the right talent," Vipul says.

Keeping in view the booming job scenario, Elixier is planning to open up its offices in China, Eastern Europe and Brazil soon.

The firm receives around 5,000 CVs every day. With the aid of an expert team of recruiters, it selects the suitable candidates, keeping in mind the client's specific requirements.

"Right now our focus is on the Indian market, and very much metro specific. But we are planning to go to smaller towns in the near future," Vipul says.

With the employment scenario taking a healthy turn in India, hiring of RPO firms by companies for their recruitment solutions would certainly play a vital role in near future. And this would then ease the burden on the HR operations of a company. - As read from Rediff