Newly Formed Group Helps Buyers Address How to Get the Most Benefit from
Recruitment Process Outsourcing -

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The HROA today announced the
formation of the industry's first RPO Buyers Group. The RPO Buyers Group
will create a forum for organizational RPO Thought Leaders to come together
and share insights, research, and best practices with each other on a
peer-to-peer basis. Acting in concert with the RPO Alliance, the HROA's
Special Interest Group for all companies engaged in RPO, the Buyers Group
will help practitioners get the most out of their recruitment solutions.

In November 2007, more than 150 executives met at the Inaugural RPO
Summit to discuss the issues and opportunities faced by the RPO industry.
The Summit brought together many of the industry's thought leaders from
over 80 companies and seven countries, including recruitment executives
from Fortune 500 companies, RPO providers, recruitment technology
companies, sourcing advisors, and attorneys. In response to the needs
expressed by RPO buyers at this event, the industry's first RPO Buyers
Group was formed under the tutelage of Chairperson Shelia Gray, director of
Global Talent Acquisition, International Paper.

The objective of the RPO Buyers Group is to connect HR professionals
who are responsible for their organization's RPO initiatives. The group's
focus is to influence the RPO community's rapidly evolving development
through the sharing of best practices by members to build cutting-edge
expertise in a collaborative environment. Additionally, through the RPO
Buyers Group, members have the opportunity to actively support the
education and development of the RPO community and foster the effective
partnerships between providers and buyers to achieve its business
objectives.

"We sought to align the RPO Buyers Group with the most prominent
association in the HR outsourcing industry. The HROA has a well respected
history of being responsible for driving collaboration between HR and
business leaders charged with making the strategic decisions that can
change the recruiting paradigm," Gray commented. She continued, "The market
remains confused by what constitutes an RPO relationship and what business
benefits can be derived from outsourcing recruiting processes. Our goal is
to help educate the buyers while also supporting their objectives of
expanding their talent pools as well as entering new markets where they
might not have existing infrastructure to support that growth."

Gray speaks from direct experience, as she has managed an RPO
relationship since 2006 and, before that, was involved in other RPO
initiatives. She observed, "Companies turn to RPO vendors because they have
the ability to easily scale their resources up or down based on demand,
they assist in the ability to contain escalating recruitment costs and
offer the dedicated subject matter resources needed in the war for talent.
A good RPO relationship also supports the employment brand and benefits the
job seeker, as the RPO is an advocate for the best candidate experience."

Richard Crespin, Global Executive Director, HROA said, "The RPO Buyers
Group is an addition to the HROA's growing commitment to relevant Special
Interest Groups (SIG) including the Mid-Market Forum, RPO Alliance, and
Public Sector Group. This buyers only group was established exclusively for
the buyers of recruitment process outsourcing services so they can network
and gain the expertise that enables them to manage their RPO relationships,
as well as drive change management and assume accountability for the
program success within their own organizations."

The RPO Buyers Group plans to hold learning sessions once a month. In
November 2008, it will hold its annual meeting in conjunction with the
annual HROA Conference. More information about the RPO Buyers Group can be
accessed at: http://www.hroassociation.org/file/3912/rpo-buyers-group.html

For more information on how to become a member of the HROA, contact
Adam Bleifeld at (202) 905-0351, ext. 19 or visit http://www.hroa.org

About the HROA

The HROA is the definitive independent organization for all those who
purchase, provide, or participate in HR transformation and outsourcing. Its
membership encompasses over 7,500 HR executives, including the largest 50
buyers, the top 30 providers, the leading sourcing advisors and attorneys,
and the best thought leaders in HR Transformation. The HROA brings its
diverse membership together to set standards and practices, provide peer
networking, and maintain a robust curriculum. For more information, visit
http://www.hroa.org.