How do you create a recruiting scorecard?

As the old saying goes, what gets measured gets managed. Before you start drafting your recruiting scorecard, you really need to get clear on what sort of change you're trying to drive within your organization. During my time in Startup/Scaleup recruiting, the primary goal was to increase overall hiring volume, so we used Hires Per Month as our hero metric and everything else on our recruiting scorecard was designed to help us better understand the pieces of our recruiting process that were either contributing to, or detracting from, our goal of increasing monthly hiring. By focusing on our hero metric and contributing factors, we were able to implement process improvements that led to record-setting hiring volume increases.

Quantity: Increase the number of hires to support business growth or expansion plans. Time-to-Fill: Reduce the time it takes to fill vacant positions to ensure minimal disruption to operations. Cost: Lower recruitment costs by optimizing sourcing channels, streamlining processes, or reducing turnover rates. Retention: Increase employee retention rates by hiring candidates who are more likely to stay with the company long-term. Employer Branding: Enhance the organization's employer brand to attract top talent and improve the candidate experience. Skills Development: Focus on hiring candidates with growth potential and invest in their skills development to build a strong talent pipeline.

Critical step, so often overlooked entirely or executed poorly. Firstly, hiring goals must sit with hiring managers. There is little point TA having a diversity 'target' if your hiring manager doesn't care! In the case of diversity, the goal must be set by leadership and filtered down to every HM. It's for TA, thereafter, to ensure they enable the HM to achieve their goal by supplying a diverse slate of candidates (and therefore, the goal of TA becomes a diverse slate, not a diverse population!). Important to get this right.

Defining your hiring goals as an IT recruiter is not just about filling positions; it's about contributing strategically to the success and growth of your organization. These goals provide a roadmap, guiding your recruitment efforts toward achieving specific outcomes that align with the company's vision and objectives. They promote efficiency, quality, and data-driven decision-making, ultimately leading to more successful and sustainable hires in the ever-evolving IT landscape.

When the focus shifts to cutting recruitment costs, a perilous consequence emerges the sacrifice of accessibility. Our pursuit should always centre on talent, not compromising our ability to reach diverse and qualified individuals. An inclusive recruitment approach embodies the essence of choice, offering a tapestry of avenues in every hiring journey. Each candidate, regardless of background or circumstance, deserves an equal chance to apply and interview. This commitment doesn't just foster diversity; it nurtures innovation, harnessing the power of varied perspectives to propel an organisation forward. Let us remember that the true richness lies not just in cost savings but in the vibrant spectrum of individuals we invite into our fold.

Two key distinctions here: data to capture (usually for insight, evaluation, improvement) and KPIs. Must be careful to create clear distinction. Data to capture for insight - time to hire, source of candidate, screening rate... Data for KPIs - time to deliver a shortlist, shortlist accuracy, conversion rates, etc. Really important to be absolutely clear about which are interesting data points (and how to use them) and which are KPIs.

Checking all the boxes and measuring a candidate's match to goals and KPIs is necessary. Yet I've found that focusing on the client's Must Have requirements and a candidate's personality and attitude has served my clients and me well over the years.

Remember, data only shows us the results. Understanding the "WHY" is absolutely critical when trying to build strategies for improvement, change, targets etc. Increasing offer rate by 10% without clearly understand the reasons why offers were rejected could send teams down a rabbit hole of "solution" projects which ultimately change nothing. Data is incredible, understanding it clearly even more so :)

Be absolutely certain where the challenges in your hiring lie before embarking on any action plans! Root cause analysis is fundamental here. The "5 Why" technique used in LEAN Management is also a great approach.

The most common mistakes I have seen are setting the wrong KPIs. This, in turn, leads to the wrong behaviours and low & behold, the wrong/lower quality outcomes. The second most common mistake I have encountered is for recruitment / TA functions to take responsibility for outcomes for which they are not in control (time to fill, anyone?!). Measure what you're to deliver, and what you control. And let others be accountable / responsible for their components. Recruitment/TA is a service-function; it provides a service to a set of customers (hiring manager and candidate). Your KPIs and scorecard must reflect this.