Lisa Gonzales

Some controversial(?) opinions on Direct Sourcing: 1) It seems like Direct Sourcing platforms have become another in the long list of tools Contingent Workforce Program Managers count as a necessary part of their programs. But I don't think Direct Sourcing -- the way the majority of DS platforms on the market approach it -- is a fit for the vast majority of programs. A couple of reasons why: — “Private talent pools" are very hard to build. Matching supply to demand is very, very, very complex. Doubly so for W2 workers because W2 contract jobs tend to be 1) full time and 2) long-term, which means that a whole lot of people in your talent pool aren’t actually active in your talent pool. — Most programs are “horizontal”, in the sense that a Contingent Workforce program fills jobs across teams and departments within a company and you need candidates for Marketing, Engineering, Product, Ops, Customer Support, etc. etc. That’s a lot of unique supply to match to demand. If your program’s headcount isn’t relatively homogenous (i.e. you run the CW program for a Law Firm and 85% of the contractors are contract Paralegals) it becomes even harder to build a talent pool supply that matches your demand. 2) The number one driver of direct sourcing programs is cost savings. 90% of programs that have implemented direct sourcing to save money on staffing firm markups could have saved the exact same amount by going to their supplier base and trading exclusivity on reqs for lower markups. The reality of many Direct Sourcing programs is that the “curation partner” is basically just a staffing firm willing to do staffing for less in exchange for exclusivity (or even just a period of exclusivity) on reqs. There’s got to be a lot of savings to justify an RFP to choose a platform, a curation partner, a long implementation, and building out a talent pool. And I bet there are often much shorter paths to those savings. 3) I know the revenue for 2 of the 5 largest Direct Sourcing platforms. They’re very, very small companies. One is public in Australia and their market-cap is publicly available, and the other I learned from a reliable source is still at single digits in ARR despite a long list of very big clients. I suspect most would consider one of these two to be the market leader, at least based on reputation. But if they are, the Direct Sourcing platform market is very, very small and underscores just how large the gap is between theory and practice. 4) The most effective way to “Direct Source” is to have an internal team of recruiters using your regular ol’ ATS and then to onboard them with an EOR. HireArt integrated with Greenhouse and Lever for that very use case long before I’d ever heard the term “direct sourcing” and had plenty of clients who were 100% direct sourced, and they didn’t need a talent pool, a platform, and a curation partner to get there. Just, you know, Recruiters. Just because you can buy a tool doesn't mean you should.

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I saved a company $4.2M on their contingent labor. Want to know how I did it? Here you go 👉🏼 They were struggling with rising contingent workforce costs and vendor management challenges. Working with their procurement team I discovered 3 hidden cost drivers nobody typically talks about: 1. Overlapping vendor services eating into margins 2. Rate card inconsistencies across departments 3. Underutilized volume discounts But instead of just cutting rates, we got strategic. We analyzed vendor performance data across 18 months. Identified top performers vs. low-value partnerships. Mapped service overlaps and rate variations. The results were eye-opening: - 23% of vendors provided duplicate services - Rate variations up to 35% for identical roles - Only 40% of negotiated discounts were being applied They took action: Consolidated vendor partnerships from 12 to 7 Standardized rate cards across business units Implemented volume-based pricing tiers Created a vendor scorecard system Within 6 months: Cost savings: $4.2M Time-to-fill: Reduced by 31% Hiring manager satisfaction: Up 28% Vendor compliance: 99.8% The best part? Quality didn't suffer. It improved. Because they focused on strengthening relationships with their best vendors instead of just cutting costs. Want to find similar savings in your program? Look at these often-overlooked areas: - Vendor service overlap - Rate card standardization - Volume discount utilization - Performance metrics alignment - Compliance monitoring costs The key is balancing cost optimization with program quality. Ready to unlock hidden savings in your contingent workforce program? Drop a "yes" in the comments or DM me to learn more about cost optimization.

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Please check out our very first blog post and let us know your thoughts!

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Exciting News! Oxford is hosting its first webinar on Change Management: From Fear to Confidence: Driving Impactful Business Transformations with Change Management. In this session, you'll gain practical strategies to align teams, overcome resistance, and ensure successful business transformations—whether it's new technologies or organizational changes. Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your Change Management approach. Register today!  https://lnkd.in/ecA8Zugh 

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Courage is the starting point of all growth and evolution. It takes courage to embrace the uncertainties of unpredictable outcomes and new behaviors. https://lnkd.in/gweg-m7d

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Looking for a recruiting partner with a passion for elevating the candidate experience and combatting #bias through equitable hiring practices? Check out Gore Talent and connect with me today to learn how you can meet your organization's goals and scale without scaling costs! #equity #inclusivity #recruitment

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MSP owners, are you struggling to maintain profitability in today's market conditions? Higher tool costs, insurance costs, 401(k) contributions, and rising salaries are attacking margins. According to Magnetude Consulting, the MSP market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13.6%. If you're making less than that to the bottom line, you're shrinking! Looking for ways to ensure that your MSP is growing and scaling profitably? You can raise rates, bring on more clients (without bringing on new resources), or cut costs. And, if you're looking to cut costs, I know something you can do TODAY - leverage outsourcing in your MSP. As someone who owned an MSP for 20+ years, I can assure you that I made every outsourcing mistake you can make. However, I eventually figured it out by creating a system to attract, train, and retain great talent from the Philippines. In doing so, I enjoyed labor rates up to 70% less than what I would have paid if I sourced it domestically. Those savings went right to my bottom line! That's why I started Kalutasan, Inc. Kalutasan is a US-based staffing firm that leverages talent from the Philippines for businesses in North America. We know how to interview for language, culture, and tech, providing you incredible talent for a fraction of the price. If you're interested in learning more, let's have a conversation to discuss how this might work in your MSP! I'd love to help you start saving today.

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Confidence levels among job seekers and employees showed significant improvements in Q3 2024, with the Vaco Talent Pulse Report revealing that 45% of respondents shared extreme confidence in their ability to get and hold a job right now, a 10% increase from Q2 2024 and a 6% increase year over year. To learn more about current job seeker and workforce confidence levels, check out the Q3 Vaco Talent Pulse Report. https://lnkd.in/g7SKuVmt #talentpulsereport | #jobseekerconfidence | #jobsearch2024

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Learn with us! Check out our weekly Talent Insights post. This week, learn about compliance, as it relates to recruiting. Navigating Legalities: Understanding Compliance in Recruiting (panarogroup.com) https://lnkd.in/gMpt_uhF #recruiting #talentacquisition #hiring #compliance #humanresources #wisconsinrecruiter #technicalrecruiter #manufacturing #engineering #construction #IT #compliance #hrcompliance #jobs #opentowork #technology

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Forgoing Business Process Improvement projects can cost a company a lot more in the long run. Devoting resources to these initiatives early on can help both manage cost and capture more revenue. #Efficiency #ERPsolutions #Recruitment

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From skills-based hiring to shifting employer-employee dynamics, there’s so much to consider as we look to the future of workforce strategy. Highly recommend this insightful podcast featuring Arthur Knapp for anyone interested in the evolving world of HR and talent: https://lnkd.in/ezySeiaX

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I predict more CIOs will ascend to CEO roles in the future. In fact, it’s already happening. Here are three examples of former CIOs who have transitioned to CEO roles: - Kevin T. Hart, SEGRA - Sharon Kennedy Vickers, Software for Good - Ross Meyercord, Propel Software Historically, CEOs have come up from other business functions like operations or sales. C-suites saw CIOs as backroom technologists, not business strategists. That’s changed dramatically over the last two decades. Thanks to the digital transformation happening across industries, the modern CIO is a savvy business leader by necessity. And the rise of remote and hybrid work models has only underscored their influence on organizations. The 2023 State of the CIO report reveals: - 84% of CIOs are spearheading digital transformation - 85% are acting as change agents - 68% are taking on revenue responsibilities - 77% are working closely with CEOs and boards In short, CIOs are not just running the IT show - they're shaping the future of their companies. While I suspect the CIO-CEO path will likely never be the most common C-suite transition, it shouldn’t surprise any of us to see it happening more frequently, especially in technology companies. Want to read more about CIOs transitioning to CEO roles? Check out the article in the comments.

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Discover the 5 truths about direct sourcing in our post webinar blog post! Talent Solutions TAPFIN and LiveHire joined forces to unveil the true nature of direct sourcing and pinpoint common roadblocks that prevent companies from achieving peak performance. Ever wonder how to blend direct sourcing into your MSP program? We reveal that too! Numerous benefits await you. Learn the truth now! #directsourcing #contingentworkforce 

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Interesting article on preventing 'groupthink'. I find articles on bias in the workplace helpful in getting improved outcomes. Did you know that while homogenous work groups get up to speed quicker, diverse work groups reach better business results? This article delves into some of the groupthink that might arise and ways to fuel creativity, enhanced decision-making, and stronger team dynamics.

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Here’s the reality: the longer it takes to hire, the more it costs your business. And top candidates? They’re not sticking around. When implementing new ERP solutions like Workday, businesses risk project delays and cost overruns without the right expertise to drive successful deployment, and manage integrations & user adoption. That’s when having a safety net matters. You need a solution that can help connect the dots and keep things moving. Our Deploy app connects businesses with Workday talent, fast - so you can focus on getting the most from your Workday investment. Hiring doesn’t have to be a roadblock. If you’re facing challenges in hiring for Workday, I’d love to hear your thoughts on what’s worked (or not worked) for you. Let’s connect and discuss. #Workday #ERPImplementation #TechTalent #HRTech #DigitalTransformation

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Encourage Digital Collaboration: Adopt collaboration tools that facilitate open communication, even if your team is distributed. Read more 👉 https://lttr.ai/AZEH5 #EnhancingTeamCollaboration #ImprovingDecisionMaking #Recruitment #FreeDiscoveryCall #EfficientResourceManagement #AnalyseViewerPreferences #SupportDocumentSharing #CategoriesRecruitmentBuilding #UnderstandCustomerPreferences #DrivingCustomerSatisfaction

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I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Scott Brewer AgileOne's Global Lead for SOW Procurement Solutions, to discuss the impact of our SOW services on the industry. At AgileOne, we are redefining how projects and services are managed through a uniform system that not only reduces risks but also enhances efficiency across multiple dimensions. It was great to chat about how our SOW services allow clients to manage requests for proposals (RFPs), statements of work (SOW), and online auctions for consulting and outsourced service engagements with unprecedented ease and compliance. By integrating seamlessly with AccelerationVMS or other ERP systems, we offer a streamlined experience that ensures compliance protection and simplifies sourcing through standardized requests and custom templates. Moreover, our system provides a robust framework for competitive supplier selection, enabling clients to identify suppliers that best meet their project requirements and budget. With our intelligent management capabilities, clients can conduct comparative analysis of proposal versus actual work, manage billing in real-time, and ensure every aspect of a project is monitored and audited efficiently. I really believe it's about empowering our clients to achieve significant process efficiencies and cost savings, streamlining every step of their statement of work projects. Watch our full conversation here!  #SOW #WeareAgileOne #WorkforceSolution #SOWManagement 

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The employment growth rate for IT is projected to grow faster than the average for all other occupations, reflecting the increasing reliance on technology and the continuous need for IT professionals. Check out Acara's Technology salary guide to find the proper salaries that will attract these qualified professionals to your organization. #Technology #IT #Recruiting

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