Recruiting Process Assessments: You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

I started my HR career in recruiting for a large bank and later went to work for a large advertising and marketing communications company recruiting top talent. Things have changed a great deal in the world of talent acquisition over the last 30-plus years. I am still interested in how we find the best people for a role and create a value proposition that entices them to take the role. 

For as interested and immersed in this world as I am, I am always striving to make sure that I know the leading practices, the new technology, new theories, and what makes for successful talent acquisition practices. But, as with anything, you don’t know what you don’t know. So, I attend conferences, watch webinars, entertain new software platforms, talk to people working in this space, and try to learn so that we can bring those practices to bear fruit for our clients.

Finding Time to Learn New Solutions

One of the most energizing things about working as consultants is that we get to work with a huge variety of clients, from diverse industries and with a variety of needs. We also learn from these clients. What is working in their industry? What have they tried that didn’t work? What systems are making their processes more efficient? What practices are creating a “wow” candidate experience? These observations inform us and help us to help all of our clients.

When something for a client isn’t working in their recruiting, it’s often difficult for them to step back and see what is broken or what tweaks can help them be more successful. Most HR professionals are pulled in many directions and can’t really sink their teeth into finding recruiting solutions. Here are a few things that take up an HR leader’s time: employee relations issues, benefits administration or enrollment, coaching and counseling managers, performance management, succession planning, compliance, training and development, compensation issues… the list goes on. They don’t know what they don’t know about recruiting because they are swamped with a host of other important tasks and initiatives.

Don’t Have Time? How an Assessment Can Help You

If this sounds familiar, consider a recruiting assessment. This can be done in-house if you have someone with the bandwidth and expertise. If not, consider hiring a third party to come in and look at your processes and candidate experience to see what is going well and maybe where there is room for improvement.   

Here are a few things that you should look for in a recruiting assessment:

• Employer branding. Is it working?
• Job ads. Are they effective, consistent, well-written, and on brand?
• Application process. Is there a high drop-off rate of applicants?
• Candidate experience. Is it positive?
• Communications. Are they positive, on-brand, timely, and automated?
• HR systems. Is there an ATS (applicant tracking system) and is it being used to improve the candidate experience and hiring manager experience? Are all of the features being used effectively so you are getting your money’s worth and a good ROI?
• External investments, such as job boards, platforms, video interviewing platforms, technology, campaigns, and recruiters. Are they paying off? Is the ROI there?
• Internal processes. Are there improvements to be made?
• Practices related to supporting DEI initiatives. Are you bringing a diverse pool of candidates?
• Compensation and total rewards practices. Are they helping or hurting and competitive in the market?
• Onboarding of new employees. As there high turnover in the first 30, 60, or 90 days?

A good recruiting assessment should culminate in a report stating top opportunities to improve, areas of concern such as compliance or risk, and suggest other changes that might affect the success of the talent acquisition process.

Continue Seeking Ways to Learn Old & New Things

As always, I’m on a quest for new knowledge and learning so we can support our clients as they seek to build strong, creative, and diverse teams. I’ll be heading to the national SHRM Talent Conference and hope to bring back the latest and greatest.

As many things continue to change, there are still some things that haven’t:

• Build relationships with hiring managers and candidates.
• Be transparent about the roles, the possible career paths, compensation, and the company.
• Communicate often and show respect to the candidate

If you need help with a recruiting assessment, Purple Ink is here for you. Reach out to learn more.