Metrics. Could you be sabotaging the measurements that may help productivity and ROI?
Posted by Nicole Ballinger in The Daily Update
Now more than ever, companies are implementing “new and improved” approaches to gather quantitative metrics of their recruitment processes. Often times, numbers are the best way for HR to convey to senior management what’s working and what’s not. With the right tools in place, proper metrics can be determined, giving your organization a clear picture of the validity of your recruiting strategy and the ability to make the recruitment process more efficient.
When it comes to the use of metrics in tracking recruiting effectiveness, I’ve found that there’s a key to success – use your tools and use them consistently! Many companies are putting forth efforts and resources to capture data, but if these tools are being utilized only part of the time, accurate measurements are not possible, and will undermine the results. Incredibly valuable information to encourage improvements, metrics are worthless unless the results have the real potential to incite positive changes in recruiting and sourcing habits.
If you decide to implement a means to measure the response of your print ads, web ads, email blasts, landing pages, SEO tools, etc., it is imperative that this tool be utilized in every application.
In reality, I know that as recruiters this approach may not always seem ideal. I have seen recruiters change the contact mechanism for response in a recruiting ad or posting for a select position based on the urgency to fill the opening, the type of candidates they are targeting, or the ease of response retrieval. But the truth of it is, what used to work years ago, doesn’t cut it anymore especially when your overall investment and goal is to gather good metrics!
The purpose of the development of the many approaches to building metrics, is to answer the demands of organizations for proof of the overall success of HR’s recruiting efforts and what can be done better – more quickly, more efficiently, more cost effectively. However, if tracking methods are only used once in a while, when the head honchos ask for recommendations during budget evaluation time – how will you be able to truly identify what you can capitalize on, and what you need to do different?
In the current state of our economy, there is no doubt in my mind that organizations cannot afford spending to track costs for skewed evidence and base their budgets on ambivalent reporting. Take my word for it, if you heed this advice to properly make use of these valuable tracking tools, the metrics will help you determine:
- What was the success of your recruitment sources?
- Which sources provided the most candidates?
- Where did the more qualified candidates come from?
- Which sources provided the least qualified candidates?
I think we can all agree that conducting an evaluation of your recruiting costs with solid metrics can provide you with the information needed to support change and improvements for sourcing and hiring processes and for reducing costs. The bottom line: Don’t sabotage your efforts. Maintain consistent use of your measurement tools and you will have the most accurate metrics at your disposal.
Having trouble figuring out the best solution for gathering metrics for your organization? Need an assessment of your applicant tracking systems’s capabilities? Send me an email – blog@alstin.com - I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further with you!
Author Bio:
Among the most fashionably dressed in our office, Nikki is an AE who excels at handling high-profile, demanding accounts (um, if you're one of them, we mean it in the best possible way) and keeping her cool. For more than 9 years our "modern day Dreamgirl" combines common sense with a strong work ethic.
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