# Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO)

Recruitment process outsourcing, or RPO, is when an employer hands over some or all of its internal recruiting function to a third-party provider, who works as an embedded extension of the company's own team rather than running a single, separate search.

The contract usually spans a year or more instead of a single search.

**Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO)** — RPO is an arrangement where a company outsources part or all of its recruiting function to an outside provider, typically under a longer-term contract rather than a one-time search fee. Unlike a staffing agency filling individual roles or a headhunter running one search, an RPO provider usually operates under the client's own employer brand, using the client's ATS and hiring process, and can take responsibility for an entire business unit's hiring or even the full recruiting function company-wide. The scope varies: some RPO engagements cover only sourcing and screening while the client keeps interviewing and final decisions in-house, while others are a full end-to-end takeover, from writing job postings through offer management. Companies generally turn to RPO when hiring volume outpaces internal recruiting capacity, when scaling into a new market without a local recruiting team, or when they want recruiting cost to scale with hiring needs instead of staying fixed. Because an RPO provider is embedded and working long-term, it's generally treated as an extension of the internal team.

The line between RPO and a staffing agency or headhunter comes down to depth and duration. A staffing agency or headhunter is usually engaged per role or per search; an RPO provider takes on an ongoing function, measured on outcomes like time-to-fill and offer-acceptance rate across the whole engagement, and typically works inside the client's own systems and branding. From a candidate's side, applying to a role run through RPO usually looks identical to applying directly to the company, since the recruiter is presenting the client's brand, not a separate agency name.

## Frequently asked questions

### How is RPO different from using a staffing agency?

A staffing agency typically fills individual roles one at a time. An RPO provider takes on an ongoing part of a company's recruiting function under a longer-term contract, often working inside the client's own systems and brand.

### Why would a company use RPO instead of hiring more internal recruiters?

Common reasons include hiring volume that outpaces internal capacity, expanding into a market without a local recruiting team already in place, or wanting recruiting costs to scale with need instead of staying fixed.

### Can I tell if I'm applying through an RPO provider instead of directly to a company?

Usually not easily. An RPO provider generally works under the client's own employer brand, so the application and recruiter contact typically look the same as applying directly.

## Related pages

- [Talent acquisition](/glossary/talent-acquisition)
- [Staffing agency](/glossary/staffing-agency)

## The process looks the same either way

Whether a company's recruiting is run in-house or through an RPO partner, applying through Intervieux's job board still goes into a real AI screening interview.

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