Chris Murdock

For the last couple of decades, there have been a few options open to companies looking for talent. You could build a recruitment team internally, use a contingency or executive recruiter, or use recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) services. But as the workforce evolved, solutions began to emerge that gave the company more flexibility and filled the gaps that each of these services inherently has. This efficient model is now known as On-Demand Recruiting.

Enter Chris Murdock, an enterprising sourcer with a plan. His time at Yahoo! made him realize that while all these solutions have their strengths, there was a need for augmentation. So he started building IQTalent Partners.

More Than A Recruitment Process Outsourcing Firm (RPO)

“Take for example executive search,” said Murdock. “You’ll get a premium placement, but it will take at LEAST 30 days and you’re going to pay a premium fee. Our outsourced model can augment your search and become an extension of your recruiting team. Plus, we move much faster. We get nervous at 30 days!”

IQTalent Partners isn’t an RPO and it isn’t really a staffing firm or recruitment agency. It’s a purpose-built firm that leverages the advantages of all of the above and does so very well.

“We’ve essentially created a model that allows organizations to ‘rent’ a sourcer or a recruiter week-by-week,” Murdock explained. “Our ramp time is exponentially faster than an in-house recruiter and bottom line, we can scale up or down depending on the need.”

With this model, one would be forgiven for assuming that contingency recruiters are IQTP’s largest competitor, but that doesn’t always hold true.

“One of the things that sets us apart is the quality of the candidates,” Murdock said. “Contingency search has a bit of a shelf life due to the way it’s structured. In many agencies, you eat what you kill and the longer a recruiter stays on an opening without success, the less they become interested. Our sourcers and recruiters just don’t give up and continue to send highly qualified candidates even after the 30-day mark.”

The firm also serves as an extension of the company, rather than a firm retained on behalf of the organization, which is a huge bonus for clients who are knee-deep in EVP work and trying to improve NPS scores. Because the outsourced team can move much faster (thanks to an agile methodology and rigorous training program) than more traditional sourcing strategies and can pre-screen and even do deep dive interviewing, candidates are placed far quicker. Good for the company, good for the candidate.

Partners With A Process

This is a new normal for many companies used to RPO offerings. One key difference between IQTalent Partners and RPO firms is RPOs tend to want to own every aspect of the recruiting process and there are year-long (sometimes longer) contracts. IQTalent Partners really acts as an extension of our clients’ in-house teams. In some cases, IQTalent is the only in-house recruiting team within the clients’ company, in turn helping them build their recruiting infrastructure from the ground up. IQTalent brings all the tools and resources, in the end passing ownership 100% back to the client once our work is complete.

“If the clients don’t have an ATS, we have one clients can use, as well as interviewing technology to help them build out a tech stack that works for them,” said Murdock. “Many clients appreciate that they can reduce or increase hours from week to week, that simply isn’t an option with RPO. We don’t need to own everything, just sourcing and recruiting.”

Murdock identified the model and built the initial team while living in Silicon Valley and scaled very quickly. The CEO turned President once he identified David Windley, an investor and board member who quickly saw the opportunities in growing this unique mix even larger. IQTP moved its headquarters to Nashville, TN and began a hiring spree to assist their growing roster of A-List clients.

Growing With Tech

With companies in sectors like technology, automotive, life science, entertainment, and more enthusiastically using IQTP to augment and supercharge their internal recruitment teams, the clients kept coming and Windley took the operational reins while Murdock began refining and perfecting the “art of recruiting,” sharing his sourcing secrets and recruiting know-how.

Similar to marketing, sales, finance, and every other industry, recruitment is going through a renaissance of sorts, with digital automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics impacting what used to be primarily a “human” function. This is driving changes for every segment of the talent acquisition cycle and creating opportunities for firms like IQTP, who combine the best of both worlds. A comprehensive mastery of the latest technology to leverage proven recruitment practices.

“When we bring our knowledge base into an organization, we’re not just providing a service, we’re helping them build and improve their talent acquisition function. For many of our clients, the list of names and completed interviews or placements are almost secondary to the deep learning we provide when we work alongside their internal employees. For us, that’s a value-add, but for them, it’s invaluable.”

Recruiting The Next Generation

So what’s next for IQTP? Continued growth from their base in Nashville, TN, a growing tech hub, with enough hungry, young talent eager for the intensive learning and unique culture the company provides. From flex work schedules to vibrant offices with unlimited snacks, IQTP knows how to attract the next generation of sourcing and recruiting specialists they’ll need to evangelize and prove this new model.

“We’re filling gaps that many companies didn’t even know they had. From speed to hire to reporting on recruitment activities, to true research, there are things many talent acquisition directors just accepted as part of the job,” said Murdock. “IQTP is showing them those problems have solutions, we just had to create a new model to solve them.”

This article was originally published on the IQTalent Partners blog.