How important is measurement? You measure candidates across performance metrics every day, but how do you measure your own performance? While most recruiters are aware of their time-to-hire metrics and retention rates, if those are the only metrics you consider, you won’t get a full picture. Think about how you assess candidates across key variables, and use those criteria to access your performance.
1. Score Your Intros.
Are your initial emails or messages to candidates:
- Clear?
- Concise?
- Verifiable?
In the wake of the OPM breach and with an increased security consciousness among the security clearance community, it’s even more important that candidates can link your messages back to a verifiable source or site, whether that’s your vetted recruiter profile on ClearanceJobs or your company website. Note that many candidates don’t trust LinkedIn as a source to vet recruiter profiles, since anyone can post a fake profile there.
2. Rank your hires.
This is where you can pull in those stats you’re already tracking, such as time-t0-hire and retention rates. Think through some of your best hires, based on retention, job performance, and hiring manager feedback – any common denominators on how those candidates were sourced? Did you have more time in those hiring processes? Did those candidates come from great referrals? In a busy hiring cycle, you don’t have time to track every hire, but you should look for those common threads that tie together your top performers. It’s easier to replicate success than it is to create it from scratch.
3. Count Your Contacts.
It doesn’t matter whether or not your profile has 50 connections or 500, if those connections are adding value. But adding contacts is a great way to build your pipeline and signal to candidates you may have an opportunity they should pursue. Don’t know where to start? In addition to adding candidates based on resume search, look to see who is already following your company profile – those candidates have signaled very directly that they’re interested in your company. Adding them to your personal recruiter profile takes your relationship to the next level.
4. Perfect your pipeline.
Every successful recruiter has a great talent pipeline. Do you score your pipeline? Take advantage of lists to manage and track candidates. Use bulk messaging to send updates or relevant messages. Set up lists in a way that makes the most sense to you – whether that’s by contract, skill, or something completely different. The important thing is to audit your lists regularly. Don’t risk a leaky pipeline problem by letting great candidates slip through your fingers.
Think all of these concepts are no-brainers? They should be – they’re quick and easy-to-implement ways to track your recruiting success. For far too many busy recruiters, however, sourcing and searching for high-demand positions takes away time from measurement. Fortunately, none of these tips require a degree in analysis or hours of labor – they’re simple processes you can incorporate into your existing recruiting processes – happy hunting!
