11 Best Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Companies

Every time we revisit Cielo, they seem to have rolled out another cool new feature.

The latest addition is the AI-powered TA tool named Digital Accelerators. This tool can source, match, engage, and auto-schedule interviews with potential candidates. It can optimize job ads, personalize engagement, tailor interview questions based on job descriptions and applicant profiles, and provide data-driven analysis.

Another plus about Cielo is that this platform can handle both permanent and contingent hiring needs. In other words, you can use its services to recruit full-time employees, independent contractors, freelancers, SOW staff, and anything in between. The talent search capability is also huge owing to the global footprint Cielo has built out over the years. To date, Cielo has operated in 113 countries and has served clients in 51 languages.

However, with full-cycle, region-specific solutions come significant trade-offs, such as a high price tag. Cielo caters primarily to multinational companies willing to invest thousands of dollars to streamline their recruitment processes and tackle their high-volume hiring challenges. Teams with only a few hires throughout the year and budget constraints will find this RPO vendor overkill.

Additionally, Cielo’s UI is not very user-friendly, and it will take time to get the services up and running compared to more lightweight solutions such as XOR. To be fair, though, if you prioritize data analytics, what you’ll get from this RPO tool is worth the initial wait and investment.

Agilent, Renovate America, and Shawbrook Bank are some of Cielo’s customers.

Custom pricing is available on request.

XOR is made for teams looking to optimize candidate communication. The HR chatbot is the heart of this tool. This conversational AI is specialized in engaging candidates via multiple channels: people applying through job boards, the ones who have texted in to apply, individuals visiting your career sites, and those who are already in your ATS.

Back in 2020, customizing the chatbot’s questions and answers usually required contacting XOR support. Now, the software is much more flexible: it allows users to DIY how the chatbot assists candidates with minimal assistance from XOR’s side.

We like that you can call candidates through XOR, too. When you do so, the platform transcribes your phone conversations directly into your inbox—definitely handy for future reference and team coaching.

XOR dashboard serves as a single source of truth for all candidate communications. Things can easily get complicated with multiple channels in place, so we’re glad to see auto-applied tags based on candidate actions and stages.

However, the reporting feature is where this vendor falls short. XOR’s standard reporting dashboard is not bad, yet it doesn’t give you the freedom to fully customize it the way you want.

The XOR support team has been attentive and helpful in answering user queries. Unfortunately, as a fan of solid self-help support, its bare-bones help center didn’t live up to our expectations.

The last and perhaps most important thing to note about XOR is its required minimum payment of $5,000, which prices out many start-ups and small businesses. A money-back guarantee is offered for positions left unclosed over 90 days, which offers some peace of mind, though.

Mosaic, MARS, Leprino Foods, IKEA, Manpower, Pursuit, and Sutter Health.

XOR charges $500 per hire, with a minimum payment of $5,000 for 10 hires. If open positions remain unfilled for over 90 days, you get your money back. For more information, you can contact their sales team.

Unlike other RPO providers on this list, Analytics Search doesn’t do a bunch of RPO services but is laser-focused on helping SMBs with candidate sourcing.

The process starts with an in-depth discussion with the RPO sourcers so they can fully understand your ideal hire profile. It’s nothing new in this space, yet Analytics Search is one of the few, if not the only, that are upfront about what they do best AND what they do not, which we truly appreciate. This means they won’t try to keep you but be transparent from the start if the positions you’re looking for aren’t their specialty.

Following the discussion is an initial list of recommended prospects Analytics Search sends over to ensure alignment on target profiles. Then, the RPO provider will start the search and typically deliver within 5 to 7 business days. While the delivery time is not incredibly fast, the quality and clarity are spot on. You get the data you need on the prospects: their names, social profiles, companies, job titles, and contact information. The recommended candidates are highly relevant to your target profile. What’s more, there are weekly meetings where the RPO recruiters share feedback and offer insights and data points on improving your recruiting process.

Interestingly, Analytics Search’s pricing is hourly based and has no placement fees. Bear in mind, though, this RPO vendor does require a minimum commitment of 10 hours per pipeline.

By now you probably notice Analytics Search is not an ideal choice for enterprise RPO. When it comes to global presence and tech stack, it’s unfortunately not the best bet either. St. Petersburg, Florida is its one and only office (verse Randstad having 35 and Cielo having 17 worldwide), and other than X-Ray and Power Searches on search engines, there’s no notable tech investment from this vendor to be found in the past few years.

Valet Living, Squire, and Xvoucher.

Analytics Search operates on an upfront hourly rate pricing model. Its sourcing services start at $140 hourly, with a minimum commitment of 10 hours per pipeline.

ADP RPO's cloud data ranks second on this list—behind only Korn Ferry. With 40 million data points collected from over 30 million employees and 90,000 organizations worldwide, ADP gains the intel needed to understand what effective recruitment and retention strategies look like for its clients.

To know exactly how customers feel about ADP RPO services, we contacted some for feedback. What they loved most about this vendor was the analytics that allowed them to benchmark industries and be more proactive in adapting to the talent market and economic trends.

In terms of ADP’s recruitment expertise, two things that caught our attention. First, each client, whether they outsource a part, some, or their entire recruitment process, receives a dedicated recruiting team. Second, the recruiting team members are thoroughly trained—each has earned 8 AIRS recruitment certifications and undergone over 30 TA training classes—and, according to some we spoke to, are knowledgeable and represent the clients’ brand well with the candidates.

One downside of this RPO firm is that if you exclude all ADP products, there are very few HR technology options left to choose from. ADP HR systems aren’t bad—they are quite the opposite—but this lack of choice does restrict flexibility for certain users.

The Hershey Company, Sparkle, IMI Americas Inc. & more.

ADP RPO has custom pricing.

Randstad Sourceright has a very solid talent advisor team. Once you engage their services, you’re supported by a team of advisors who will invest the time to 1- get to know your hiring needs in detail and 2- conduct market intelligence research to pinpoint the segmented target audience and design strategies that attract the right fit.

This commitment doesn't stop at research but extends to strategy deployment. The RPO recruiters are proactive at tapping into both external sources and the client’s internal talent pool and alumni database. Along the way, they make sure to offer intel on improving areas and insights into market trends that can refine the client’s existing recruitment process.

In addition to the enterprise RPO model, Randstad offers Project RPO—a similar service but applied to a defined recruitment project. We can imagine this will be handy for those entering new territories or sectors facing seasonal peaks in hiring demand, like retail.

However, this platform isn't a budget-friendly solution. Our research suggests its pricing is as high as Ceilo's, which may not be feasible for some SMBs.

We also spoke with individuals who have interacted with Randstad as job seekers. Unfortunately, their experiences were not universally positive. Many criticized Randstad's recruiters for not following up promptly or even failing to respond at all after email or phone screenings.

BASF, UCB, Philips, and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

Randstad’s pricing isn’t disclosed upfront because they tailor their offerings to each customer’s unique needs. Contact Randstad’s sales team to learn more.

Owned by TrueBlue, PeopleScout is an end-to-end RPO company with multi-country services and talent advisory capabilities. The firm’s global footprint is second only to Ceilo on our list: serving over 300 global clients in more than 70 countries and over 20 languages, with offices in Chicago, London, Sydney, Toronto, Montreal, Bristol, Krakow, Gurgaon, Bangalore, New Zealand, and Singapore.

Besides its renowned global presence, veteran recruitment is another area where PeopleScout shines. It has its own Veteran Talent Community, which provides clients with access to thousands of active and passive veteran candidates. As we investigated customer records, it became apparent that most clients who have stayed with PeopleScout for years and even decades are those with high-volume veteran hiring demands.

In mid-2023, PeopleScout introduced its tech-powered RPO model, Accelerate, combining its recruiting professionals and a pre-configured Affinix talent acquisition technology suite, which can be up and running in just two weeks. Unfortunately, this model falls short regarding integrations—it can’t connect with any third-party HR system, meaning you either have to give up on your beloved existing tech stack or opt for the custom (and, of course, pricier) model PeopleScout offers.

Similar to options like Randstad, Ceilo, and Manpower Group, PeopleScout is also enterprise-level oriented and isn’t the right fit for startups and small companies.

PeopleScout has custom pricing.

Having acquired Novotus and Accolo in the last decade, it’s probably not an exaggeration to say that Orion Talent has some of the most comprehensive expertise and technology to handle full-cycle recruitment processes.

Getting on a demo with the RPO firm, we were quickly impressed with Orion Talent’s sales rep. They didn’t rush to close the sale. Instead, the call was informative and on point. The RPO vendor took the time to understand the challenges we were facing and what we needed, then returned to us with a unique recruitment strategy and a list of tech tools they believed would fit our goals.

Lately, Orion Talent has launched a new hiring service tailored for the aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) industry. Despite being new, the product inherits extensive experience in filling veteran roles of the RPO company. Thanks to that, it has gained the trust of multiple brands, including FEAM Aero and Loar Group.

However, we suspect companies seeking multi-national RPO services won’t be satisfied with Orion Talent's offerings. Compared to other vendors mentioned in this buyer guide, U.S.-focused Orion Talent falls short in terms of its global footprint.

The pricing of Orion Talent’s services and tech tools isn’t disclosed upfront.

ManpowerGroup is the third-largest RPO company globally (behind Adecco and Randstad) and boasts over 70 years in the business of placing contingent and permanent hires. This extensive tenure, combined with a client base of 100,000+ companies worldwide, positions ManpowerGroup as one of the most seasoned vendors in the market.

We were particularly drawn to ManpowerGroup's Academy service programs. Among all the RPO companies we've reviewed, few match this robust emphasis on talent training products.

Specifically, this vendor will shortlist candidates that meet the minimum entry-level criteria and then enroll them in Academy Learning Pathway Cohorts. These bespoke programs are designed to fill candidates’ skill gaps, and there are client assignments along the way to ensure they will perform well on the job.

Furthermore, given that upskilling and reskilling of staff is no longer an optional extra for businesses but a vital to-do, the option to extend programs to offer ongoing training to the workforce truly makes ManpowerGroup stand out in the marketplace.

Some good news for healthcare businesses: ManpowerGroup has recently announced partnership with ClearDATA to deliver dedicated cloud security, compliance tech, and expert support for those in the industry.

However, we were disappointed to find that the candidate experience across all of ManpowerGroup's franchises is not consistently positive. Many candidates have complained about recruiters' slow response to emails or return calls.

Not disclosed.

AMS stands shoulder to shoulder with reputable RPO brands like Cielo and JP Morgan. To date, the London-based vendor has over 1,000 experienced sourcers and TA experts, offers over 175 different options in its talent technology community, and comes with a strong global presence. India and the Philippines are the two markets where it is particularly well-known for its in-depth local knowledge.

AMS One is a new RPO offering that AMS launched in 2023 to provide users with a better level of flexibility, and it does deliver. As an AMS One customer, you can opt for the end-to-end RPO solution that covers your recruitment process from the get-go—sourcing, screening, and interview scheduling up to offer management and beyond. Alternatively, if your existing tech stack is already in good shape, you can simply keep it and integrate your recruitment with AMS One in a fully integrated way.

After looking into AMS’s customer base, we’re convinced this vendor has really good early careers services built-in. AMS’s campus recruitment strategy is scalable, with a global reach and a focus on diversity. This has helped the RPO company sustain its relationships with notable brands like Nestlé, Delta Air Lines, and Rolls-Royce.

All that said, AMS is on the more expensive side. Additionally, compared to other RPO companies we’ve reviewed, this vendor has limited capability regarding military hiring.

The pricing of AMS’ services and tech tools isn’t disclosed.

Sevenstep's RPO offerings are particularly favored by companies in North America or Europe, and it's not hard to see why. Founded in 2007, the vendor has maintained a sharp focus on providing talent solutions in specific regions where its human expertise and tech stack shine: the U.S., U.K., and Canada.

Sevayo Insights is Sevenstep's data analytics tool, and it's one of our favorites. This feature lets companies use data from their talent systems, going back as far as 12 years, to discover insights into the past and forecast future trends. We interviewed some of Sevenstep’s customers, and it became apparent how big of a role these analytics played in helping them spot issues and picture what kind of talent they'd need in the future.

Our main gripe about this vendor, however, is its relatively weak global presence. Sevenstep only has four delivery centers: two in the U.S., one in the U.K., and one in Canada. There are no footprints in Asia and Africa.

Sevenstep pricing is tailored to each customer’s requirements.

The amount of data Korn Ferry used to train its HR technology is nothing short of impressive. Over 5 billion data points, ranging from engagement survey responses to rewards data and assessment insights power the intelligence cloud and make it one of the most capable recruitment engines available.

Creating career job architecture with this cloud is very easy. It can craft job descriptions and job evaluations almost instantly, so very little work from the user end is needed. We also like that the technology frequently goes over career paths and workforce designs to keep them relevant to the client’s business strategy.

A cool feature this vendor offers that other RPO firms we tested don’t is Success Profiles. It’s quite handy in helping you determine the skill set, behaviors, and mindsets needed of a candidate to be a good fit for any given role.

We should also mention Korn Ferry’s Pay, given how much clients praise this tool. Owing to the system’s vast pay data, the vendor’s technology can suggest compensation plans that consider both the client’s business strategy and their employees’ needs.

We generally expect short-term RPO services to be available in addition to enterprise RPO offerings. Unfortunately, Korn Ferry is all about the latter, not the former, just yet.

Korn Ferry’s pricing isn’t disclosed.

Pierpoint, with over two decades of experience, is a trusted name in the RPO field. They've earned their reputation by combining tried-and-true strategies with the latest RPO innovations to cater to a wide range of industries, from consumer goods and healthcare to technology and manufacturing.

For those whose talent needs span across continents and involve various work modes, Pinpoint can be a great choice. They provide comprehensive support in the US, Canada, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Latin America, and Asia Pacific, accommodating in-person, remote, and hybrid needs.

Pierpoint has a strong track record of delivering results, particularly for mid-sized organizations. They offer personalized talent acquisition strategies, along with industry-specific solution architects to cater to your unique needs. Flexibility is also a key feature. You get to choose your preferred technology and integration options, and Pierpoint seamlessly fits into your existing toolkit. Plus, they offer custom reporting packages to keep you informed every step of the way.

However, it's important to note that Pierpoint's talent coverage heavily favors North America, representing 62%. So, if your hiring focus is on regions like Asia Pacific or the Middle East & Africa, you might want to explore other options. Additionally, while it's not uncommon in this industry, Pierpoint doesn't provide a free trial, and their pricing details are not publicly available.

Pierpoint has served organizations like Accenture, Acceptance Auto Insurance, and Chipotle.

Pierpoint has custom pricing.

We first heard about Avra through a friend. After exploring more and even hearing the experiences of some of the companies they have worked with, it was refreshing to learn of an RPO with such a ‘doer’ mentality, where they try to own as many recruitment and HR processes as you let them, on top of their strategic advisory services. They have provided this “people teams as a service” approach at places like Grindr, Sika, and Crux.

To go with an old adage (yet paraphrased), they try to teach you to recruit better instead of simply recruiting for you. Their services run the gamut from performance to compensation, employee experiences, and restructuring. They also offer a fractional ‘Biz CHRO’ approach, where one of them can help oversee your human capital evolution as if another member of your team.

Avra is the result of the recent merger between two smaller RPO firms, Avra Talent and Mindhire. While they used to operate as an almost entirely referrals-based business, they’re currently broadening their scope. Some of the stats we got from them are that they can reduce cost per hire by 50%, grow teams by 2-3X, and hire the majority of your C-suite. One of our favorite things about Avra is that they aim to not only enable your organization’s growth but unlock the full potential of your current and future workforce.

Avra are currently partnered with over 25 leading tech companies. Some recent names include Grindr, FastGrowingTrees, Crux, Sika, Brave Health, and A.Team.

Pricing for Avra is customized based on client needs, but generally speaking, their model is a monthly retainer for embedded talent support on a batch of roles.