project RPO case study: construction company rebuilds recruiting process to overcome local skills shortages.
Company quickly identifies and hires specialized, international candidates to meet growing business demands
client
a multinational construction company with operations across the APAC regionchallenges
With growing talent scarcity for engineers and other specialized roles, the company struggled to find qualified talent with the experience to drive new construction projects in Australia and New Zealand.solution
A project-based recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) program was implemented to recruit for highly specialized roles in specific locations. The program includes targeted international branding campaigns, talent intelligence to map the global talent market and building talent pools of engaged candidates.key results
The company is meeting its aggressive goal of 150 specialized hires from 23 countries in 12 months while improving diversity and achieving high candidate satisfaction. 89% of candidates rate the experience 5 out of 5.
a talent strategy under construction
An influx of government spending on infrastructure has resulted in more rail, road and tunnel projects across Australia and New Zealand for this leading construction company with operations across the APAC region. To keep up with this spike in business, the company needed to expand its workforce to welcome more white-collar construction specialists, such as engineers and other professionals, to lead these projects.
Rising talent scarcity, a lack of local candidates with the necessary qualifications and growing competition all challenged the company as it recruited directly in Australia and New Zealand. Further complicating the company’s efforts, it had limited visibility into local talent supply, and needed to find candidates who were willing to accept jobs in remote locations.
To overcome these roadblocks, the company wanted to expand its search to consider candidates from other countries. However, sourcing and recruiting internationally also introduced challenges — from understanding the dynamics of different markets, to advertising open positions to the right audiences and helping hired candidates relocate to Australia or New Zealand.
This led the company to seek the expertise of a recruitment partner that could execute volume recruitment and access in-demand talent across international markets to ensure it would meet hiring demands quickly and move its construction projects forward.
breaking ground on a new recruiting process
Having collaborated with Randstad Sourceright on two previous recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) projects, the company implemented a project RPO program to source, engage and place 150 specialized new hires within 12 months, tapping international candidates to overcome the talent scarcity in Australia and New Zealand.
To hire for these specialized roles — which span engineering; risk, controls and assurance; project management; safety, health, environment and quality; technical; supervisory and bid development — the RPO uses elevated international branding and targeted campaigns. This includes advertising on LinkedIn to increase awareness of the company and the relocation opportunities available.
Using talent intelligence to map the global talent market, the company can better identify international candidates with experience in rail, road and tunnel projects and invest in the effective sourcing channels to attract the right candidate profiles. The program also includes a focus on improving gender diversity, attracting and advancing more female candidates through the recruitment process.
To streamline the recruiting process, and create a more engaging candidate experience, the teams utilize recommended vendor technologies for video interviewing and automated reference checking. That high-touch experience continues once a candidate is hired, as the company helps to navigate complex immigration requirements and assist new hires as they get settled in their new roles and new homes.
Key to the program’s success is regular communication with the project RPO team, as well as weekly meetings with senior business leaders from each job family to discuss candidates’ suitability and determine advancement. Because the RPO was to successfully ramp up with speed and precision, accelerating the talent pipeline in the first six months, this has created a time buffer in the event of complications or candidate withdrawals.
a smooth road ahead
Facing local talent scarcity and strong competition to fill 150 white-collar construction positions, with project RPO, the company was empowered to connect with talent anywhere in the world with the right qualifications and willingness to relocate to Australia or New Zealand. Since implementing the program, the company is able to attract the right-fit talent it needs to fill key gaps and fulfill its construction projects.
Through targeted LinkedIn campaigns, the company reached more than 54,000 candidates, greatly expanding beyond the limited supply in Australia and New Zealand. The company has hired candidates from nearly two dozen countries, and is meeting its recruitment goals. The company also improved gender diversity, increasing female hires to 10%.
The tech-focused recruiting strategy is also highly engaging for candidates, which is especially important when working with people who will need to relocate. When asked how satisfied they were with the communications throughout the recruiting process, from initial interview to offer stage, 89% of candidates rate it a 5 out of 5.
Throughout the process, the company has also built an extensive talent pool of international candidates who map across the main role types for which it recruits. As a result, it has a pool of 3,000 engaged and pre-vetted candidates it can draw on as more positions become available, driving further recruiting efficiencies.