Well, hello! Since you have come across this post, most likely you are considering Recruitment Process Outsourcing as a solution for your business and for recruiting IT Team in Poland. Though, if you are just exploring the wonderful world of RPO, let’s do a quick recap, shall we?

So, RPO right? It stands for Recruitment Process Outsourcing; essentially it is a service that is very fruitful for your business, since in our case, you receive a dedicated recruiter or a team of recruiters that take care of your recruitment needs. You can explore the basics in detail here:

In this blog post, however, we are going to talk about what you should define, prepare and think about before an RPO recruiter joins your ranks and how an RPO could improve your first ever Software Development Team (or Center) in Poland. There will be several pieces of advice that can truly boost this collaboration and lead it to remarkable results.

First stage: define who you are looking for

It works more or less the same way as it does with your internal recruitment, meaning that you do need to determine what kind of person you are looking for.

Once you have established who you are looking for – share some information about your company or at least make sure that the message that your brand conveys is clear. Are you a tech giant or a start-up? What kind of company culture do you have? What are your values?

Yes, there are quite a few questions that you need to answer, but the better you structure your expectations – the better the outcome is going to be for your business. The same goes for the second part – the more insights you can share about your company – the faster the RPO and the Recruiter will be able to adjust to your strategy and your story during recruiting in Poland.

Second stage: formalities before recruiting in Poland

Thus, coming for the, arguably least fun, part (but to each their own) – formalities. Primarily what we mean by formalities is, for instance, the types of contracts, benefits or reporting systems that your company currently has. These are significant components that should be touched upon prior to beginning any recruitment process. Shall we then?

If you are just kicking off recruiting in Poland, there are 3 most popular contracts: contract of employment, so-called B2B and contract of mandate. Here Humeo can help you with the basic needs, we can walk you through ABC’s of contract and, for instance, with preparing the drafts of contracts. Should you need a more extensive HR/legal support we can also help you find the right person.

Next, think about your work model. Decide whether you would go fully remote, or hybrid, or maybe on-site. If you already have a legal entity and an office in Poland, well, just skip this part. If not, however, do consider investing into a Site Manager and the place itself. What kind of work mode do you think works best in Poland? It depends, so it is also nice to have a chat with an RPO, as we do spend a lot of time with candidates and we know what they think about it. There is no easy answer for this one and “whether or” relies also on your product or project.

Going further, with the flow: if you do not have your office established in Poland yet, but you are looking forward to hiring in this country – buckle up! As every other country there are laws, regulations and bureaucracy to some extent, so be prepared. There can be numerous aspects, of course, but these elements are essential to make sure that you are up to date with the Polish system and its intricacies. Make sure that you have a lawyer that could help you but as an additional HR support you can read our e-book ⬇️ or check articles on our Humeo’s Blog.

If you want to learn more about formalities when building IT Team in Poland, read our e-book:

Third stage: tools and accesses

You have found the RPO recruiter that you were looking for, congratulations! What now? Before this person joins your team and your company there are a few important steps that may be self-explanatory; still, it is best to talk it through. Brainstorm (maybe together with your IT team) where an external recruiter is going to have access to, starting with ATS and ending with your internal Wiki.

If you cannot grant access to some of the tools due to regulations and internal policies – tell us about that. From the perspective of an RPO recruiter – we do understand that there may be some boundaries.

Maybe we could help you solve this problem out?

Inform your IT support team (or equivalent) that an RPO is joining soon and they ought to give all the necessary access to the tools you are using. You may as well have your reasons for not granting access to everything due to regulations and internal policies, and from the perspective of an RPO recruiter – we do understand that there may be some boundaries. Though, tell us about them – we need to know that. Maybe we could help you solve this problem then? Oh, and do not forget about the equipment! Of course you do not have to provide our recruiters with equipment, but if it is your policy – we can adjust.

Fourth stage: RPO recruiter’s interactions with your team & onboarding

Since recruitment is all about people, this stage will involve quite a lot of people interactions, so recharge your social batteries. First things first, define whether your RPO recruiter will have an additional Team Lead (apart from ours from Humeo) within your team. So that your Team Lead can collaborate with ours from Humeo – it will enable both sides to stay up to date on everything that is going on and ensure constant feedback flow.

Then, before an RPO recruiter joins, it is best to inform your team that this new person will join soon, so that the new face will not surprise anyone, or just act according to your procedures.

And last, but not least, talking about procedures – onboarding has always been an important part of a successful kick-off. During onboarding it’s best to configure and calibrate the tools, laptop, but also introduce your new team member to your organization. Meaning, if you have e-onboarding it is great and you have got it under your belt, but it would also be beneficial if you could provide your new recruiter with a person (so-called “buddy”) that could dedicate some of their time to simple human support, just in case. They could also inform your new RPO on the steps in your recruitment process, once they join.

Fifth stage: tell us more about your processes and your recruitment needs

Fifth stage: it is high time we talk business. It would be ideal if you could define in advance what kind of projects your Talent Acquisition team is working on, as well as your priorities and your geography (do you consider recruiting only in Poland?). After all, recruitment for different profiles requires different approaches (whether these are purely technical roles, or you are also looking for sales people, or maybe you have some niche roles open?). Then with this approach, the recruiter would be able to either update their knowledge beforehand and they could already start working on a plan, taking into account your priorities and geography of future candidates.

Speaking of geography, before our Recruiter joins you, it is best to define the market that the recruiter is going to be designated to. This prior knowledge will enable us to run some market mapping and grasp a better understanding of your needs. If we are talking about countries that a recruiter hasn’t worked on before – there will be enough time to catch up on essentials and do our research. However, if you are focusing on Poland or just started your recruitment adventure in Poland then our recruiter will be able to fully provide you with the expertise and fill you in on all the details (i.e., role namings, best ways to reach the candidate, salary ranges and many more).

Take a look what results we achieved after good market mapping when creating an IT Hub in Poland for Sweden’s LeoVegas Group:

Therefore, depending on the types of projects that the recruiter is going to be responsible for, there are going to be different Hiring Managers. It would be great if a Team Lead, for example, could present at the beginning of cooperation, what kind of Hiring Managers are there at your company and with whom your RPO recruiter is going to work closely. This simple step will save a lot of time, and time is money, as we know it, so better build the foundation in advance!

Since we have covered the Hiring Manager part already – what is next on the agenda? The one and only targets. They vary from company to company, but to avoid any confusion – it is best to cover it in advance, preferably, to also talk about it with a recruiter beforehand. Obviously, your teams, most likely, have their goals, so we would also expect you to define your expectations towards an RPO recruiter. Once that part is covered – let’s figure out the reporting system. Whether you have it organized in your ATS or you document it during one-on-ones with Team Leads – let us know. We can either adjust, or you are up for it – we could propose a different way.

Sixth stage: feedback culture

And speaking of proposing a different way… Let’s also make it clear – how open are you towards advisory from a recruitment perspective? How much would you like to change your process? Would you like to receive support and an expert outlook from our RPO recruiters?

These are the questions that will help you set your expectations towards the consultancy and whether you want it in your current setup. Our advice, however, is best to be open towards listening to new propositions, especially when a person comes from outside of your organization and may see more aspects that require a fixer upper.

Let’s make it clear:

How open are you towards advisory from a recruitment perspective? How much would you like to change your process?

Moreover, if it is your first time recruiting in Poland – advisory is a powerful asset to have. After all, markets differ, and if you have been doing your business inside of the US only, you may be surprised by the differences between the approaches. That, however, is a whole different topic for another blog. Our insides, nevertheless, can help you create a process, find a silver lining between candidates and your business, and essentially boost the way your brand is portrayed and received through the candidate experience. 

After all, Humeo recruiters have vast experiences across numerous markets, and with our help you will have a whole team supporting you and your project(s). So whether you have one of our recruiters on board or a few, we guarantee that agreed processes and projects will be taken care of. With that being said:

We prepare for you also the checklist with things to consider before an RPO recruiter joins the team and you start recruiting in Poland:

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