Today’s post is from Nerissa Reyes from AVANTI People Partnership International in Manila, Philippines. Nerissa is currently serving as secretary/treasurer of NPA’s board of directors and was previously a regional director for the recruitment network. She lives and works across several countries including Jakarta, Sydney and Manila. 

AVANTI People Partnership provides executive search and staffing for various multinational companies across functions. In the fast-growing “business process outsourcing” arena, AVANTI provides cross-border recruitment solutions on a global scale.

I have experienced the phenomenal growth of the outsourcing industry in the Philippines. Multinational and medium-sized companies have insourced/outsourced their operations from customer contact centres to back office support. The level of outsourced operations ranges from the simple “chat” to IT development or knowledge-based data analysis.

RPO, or recruitment process outsourcing, is done in cost-effective centres in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. It provides the client flexibility in the recruitment process without the burden of permanent employees. RPO services start with data gathering and market research to determine the search strategy for the client. The RPO service provider will then manage the entire recruitment process including job ads, candidate interviews, shortlisting, and reference checks. Their search may include the engagement of a recruitment firm for specialized roles.

Recruitment firms have also outsourced their support operations offshore. Candidate research, database administration, interviews, and scheduling can be processed overseas. This enables the recruitment consultant to focus on client-relationship management locally.

There are pros and cons to outsourcing. The advantages are cost consideration and workforce flexibility enabled by technology. However, knowledge of the local market is limited, lack of control, and quality of service could be compromised.

Due to the cyclical nature of recruitment and the global downturn of several industries, companies will continue to look for solutions. For recruitment firms that are struggling to remain profitable, outsourcing could create new opportunities by providing alternative ways of doing business, decreasing overhead cost while increasing the database of clients and candidates. Even a small local recruitment firm can provide global outsourcing solutions to clients/candidates in their own backyard through its network of associates.

Dynamic companies are always seeking for global opportunities. There are no borders to international business, creating the demand for global recruitment.

Are you challenged to go beyond your comfort zone towards a global recruitment business?