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Ep 40 Why RPO partnerships fail (and what ZRG and Symbotic did differently)
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In high-growth technology sectors, talent acquisition leaders face an unprecedented scaling challenge: how can organizations rapidly deploy recruiting capacity while maintaining quality and cultural fit? The RPOA's 2025 RPO Trends Report shows that relationship quality ranks as the top factor in RPO partnership success. Technology companies scaling warehouse automation and robotics operations struggle to build recruiting teams fast enough to support 30+ site deployments across multiple states simultaneously. According to a McKinsey report, only strategic embedded RPO partnerships that integrate seamlessly with internal teams can deliver flexibility and expertise to achieve rapid, scalable workforce growth aligned with business goals.
Solving this capacity-quality paradox requires rethinking traditional vendor relationships. In this episode of the Time to Hire podcast, host Lamees Abourahma speaks with Matt Corbett, President at ZRG Embedded Recruiting, alongside his clients Martha Bradley and Alex McGrane of Symbotic, to explore how RPO partnerships evolve from transactional services into strategic talent engines. They reveal the communication practices, flexibility frameworks, and integration strategies that transformed Symbotic's recruiting operations during their IPO and explosive growth phase.
Join the RPO Association today to stay ahead of the latest trends and best practices in talent acquisition, achieve your professional goals, and benefit from improved business performance.
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Whether you're a seasoned talent acquisition professional or just starting in the field, "Time to Hire" provides an invaluable platform to expand your knowledge, learn from industry leaders, and stay up-to-date with the rapidly changing world of recruitment.
Chapters
1. Intro (00:00:00)
2. Origin Story (00:02:52)
3. Building the Engine for Scale (00:06:24)
4. Vendor vs. Strategic Partner (00:07:50)
5. Adapting Services & Creative Solutions (00:10:11)
6. The Growth Numbers (00:12:17)
7. Transparency & Trust in Partnerships (00:14:43)
8. Lessons for Companies Considering RPO (00:16:22)
9. One Word Partnership Descriptions (00:20:48)
10. Evolution of the Partnership (00:21:42)
11. The Complexity of Warehouse Automation Hiring (00:24:10)
12. Measuring Success: KPIs & Metrics (00:26:13)
13. Key Takeaways & Closing Thoughts (00:30:18)
14. Final Reflections & Wrap-Up (00:31:47)
15. Outro (00:33:39)
40 episodes
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