When your RPO partner no longer meets the mark, whether it's missed SLAs, stagnant strategies, or poor candidate experiences, it’s time to reassess the relationship. However, even when it’s clear a change is needed, one thing often holds companies back: fear of disruption.
This guide provides insights on making a seamless transition from an underperforming RPO provider to a better-fit solution, without slowing down hiring or compromising quality:
Signs You Need to Switch RPO Providers
An RPO partnership should drive progress, not stall it. But over time, even the most promising relationships can lose momentum. What once felt like the right fit may now feel outdated, misaligned, or too rigid for your evolving business needs.
Before you commit to a transition, you need clarity. Here are common indicators that your current RPO partnership is holding you back:
Performance Red Flags
- Missed SLAs or declining quality of hire
- High requisition aging and long time-to-fill
- Inconsistent recruiter support or turnover
- Lack of reporting, transparency, or proactive insights
Rigid or Misaligned Service Delivery
- Your provider can’t flex with your changing business needs
- Solutions feel off-the-shelf instead of tailored to your goals
- They’re slow to adopt new recruiting technologies or channels
Feedback Fatigue
- You’ve voiced concerns, but nothing changes
- There’s no clear path to course-correct performance
- You’re spending more time managing the RPO provider than being supported by them
Culture Misfit
- There’s a disconnect in communication, values, or candidate experience
- RPO recruiters feel like outsiders, not embedded members of your team
- Your employer brand is suffering because of inconsistent representation
Business Case Starter
Building a strong business case is essential to secure buy-in from leadership, justify the switch, and ensure the transition is seen as a strategic move, not just a reactive one.
- Quantify the gap between expectations and outcomes
- Track missed KPIs, unaddressed feedback, and internal frustration
- Show the costs of staying with the same provider
- Missed revenue due to unfilled roles
- Burnout on internal teams forced to compensate for gaps
- Reputational damage from poor candidate experiences
- Highlight strategic misalignment
Gather input from hiring managers, talent acquisition teams, and candidates. Use KPIs, satisfaction surveys, and anecdotal evidence to paint a full picture.
Wrapping Up with Your Current RPO Provider
A successful transition starts with how you close out the relationship with your current partner. Mishandling the exit can lead to lost data, disrupted candidate pipelines, and internal confusion.
Review Your Contract
- Know your terms: Understand your termination clause, notice period, and any early exit fees.
- Identify transfer requirements: Look for clauses around data handoff, intellectual property, and employer branding assets.
- Clarify ownership: Who owns candidate records, job descriptions, assessments, and other recruiting IP?
Secure Your Data and IP
- Export everything: Ensure you get complete access to your ATS, CRM, and reporting dashboards.
- Protect your pipeline: Retain candidate records, communications, and notes for open and recent roles.
- Audit shared tools: Make a list of software or integrations managed by your current RPO that will need to be reassigned, rebuilt, or purchased.
Communicate Internally and Externally
- Prepare hiring managers: Brief them on the transition timeline and what to expect.
- Maintain professionalism: Even if the partnership didn’t work out, your exit should be respectful and collaborative.
- Craft the message: Keep communication clear and future-focused, both internally and with the RPO.
Plan Knowledge Transfer
- Capture process documentation: How were jobs posted? How were candidates screened? What reports were delivered and how often?
- Schedule handover meetings: If possible, involve both RPOs in a joint knowledge transfer session to avoid information gaps.
- Tag in your new partner: The earlier they’re looped in, the better they can prepare.
Pre-Transition Checklist
What to Look for in Your Next RPO Provider
Choosing a new RPO partner isn’t just about finding a better version of what you had, it’s about aligning with a team that can scale with your growth, adapt to your hiring complexities, and deliver real results.
Use This RPO Evaluation Checklist:
- Do they offer a tailored solution, not one-size-fits-all?
- Can they support your growth and evolving needs?
- Is their team embedded and aligned with your internal culture?
- Do they offer visibility into performance metrics and pipelines?
- Are they focused on both process and people?
Key Reflection
What went wrong in your last partnership, and how will this provider do it differently?
A strong transition is not just about moving away from something that is not working—it is about moving toward a partner who will push your recruitment function forward.
What a Modern RPO Should Offer
A new partner should make it easy and worthwhile to switch. For example, at Hueman, we offer:
- Flexible and customizable contract terms that scale with your needs
- No technology barriers, we can work within your existing systems and workflows
- Dedicated transition support from day one to ensure a seamless onboarding experience
Need help evaluating RPO partners?
Check out our RPO Buyer’s Guide. It is a comprehensive resource that walks you through how to compare providers, what questions to ask, and how to align RPO strategy with business outcomes.
Transition Tools & Tactics
Once you've selected your next RPO partner, the real work begins. Transitions can feel overwhelming, but with the right preparation and planning, you can avoid disruption, maintain hiring momentum, and even uncover opportunities for process improvement along the way.
This phase is all about setting expectations, aligning stakeholders, and creating a framework that helps your new RPO partner hit the ground running.
Sample 30/60/90-Day Transition Plan
Break down your transition into manageable phases with clear milestones:
Align Internally
Before your new partner steps in, it is essential to ensure that all internal stakeholders are clear, aligned, and fully on board with the transition. Start by setting expectations, brief executives, HR leaders, hiring managers, and talent acquisition team members on why the switch is happening and what benefits the change will bring.
Identify key champions within your organization who can serve as internal liaisons throughout the transition process, helping to facilitate communication and coordination.
Collaborate on a Transition Plan
A strong RPO partner will come up with a detailed implementation roadmap. Be ready to collaborate and fill in the blanks with information that only your team can provide.
- Kickoff planning. Align on timelines, roles, milestones, and success metrics.
- Handoff documentation. Share internal resources, templates, past performance data, and system access needs.
- Candidate continuity. Discuss how in-process candidates and live requisitions will be transitioned (or restarted, if needed).
Get Your Systems Ready
Make sure your technology stack is prepared for the switch.
- ATS & systems access: Ensure logins, workflows, and permissions are set up before the go-live date.
- Data validation: Confirm your current data is clean, structured, and ready to be used by the new RPO team.
- Tool integration: Discuss how any existing recruitment tech (CRMs, assessments, marketing platforms) will be used or replaced.
Pipeline Preservation: Protecting Momentum with Active Candidates
One of the biggest risks in any recruitment transition is losing candidates in the process. To avoid this:
- Sync CRM/ATS data early and often to maintain visibility and the most up-to-date information
- Assign recruiters quickly to open requisitions
- Communicate with candidates transparently about any visible changes on their end
What a Great RPO Partner Will Provide
The right RPO partner will not leave you guessing, they will lead the process with clarity and offer:
- A clear implementation plan with defined timelines and ownership
- Dedicated transition leads and points of contact
- Best practices and checklists to guide each step of the onboarding process
- A proactive approach to change management, engaging with hiring managers and stakeholders effectively
Making the Most of Your First 90 Days
The first 90 days with your new RPO partner are crucial for establishing a solid foundation and setting the stage for long-term success. This period is about building trust, optimizing processes, and demonstrating early wins that reinforce the value of your new partnership.
- Establish Clear Communication: Schedule regular check-ins and progress updates with your RPO team and internal stakeholders. Transparent communication ensures everyone stays aligned on goals and quickly addresses any issues.
- Monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Track metrics like time-to-fill, quality of hire, candidate experience, and hiring manager satisfaction. Use these insights to identify areas of strength and opportunities for ongoing improvement.
- Be Open to Adaptation: Early feedback is invaluable. Your RPO partner should be flexible, adjusting strategies based on what’s working and what’s not to better meet your needs.
- Support Change Management: Help your teams adjust to new workflows and technology by providing clear guidance and resources. Address concerns promptly to minimize resistance.
- Focus on Continuous Improvement: Use lessons learned during the first 90 days to refine recruitment strategies and deepen collaboration with your RPO partner.
Hueman RPO Could be Your Next Partner
At Hueman, we help organizations like yours transform recruitment into a strategic advantage, with more flexibility, faster results, and a U.S.-based team fully invested in your success.
Whether you are scaling fast or need hard-to-fill roles covered quickly, we customize every step to get you better hires, faster. We leverage cutting-edge technology, Hueman AI, and decades of industry expertise to solve your unique hiring challenges.
What truly sets us apart? Our people-first mindset. When you partner with us for RPO, you'll have a direct relationship and receive individualized attention from everyone caring for your account.
