#7 - The Ugly Truth About Recruiting Metrics: Why You're Not Getting the Results You Want

Meet Jane, a young talented girl who had always wanted to be a recruiter. She was a natural at connecting with people and loved the idea of finding the perfect candidate for each job. So when she got hired at a big-name firm, she was thrilled!

But things quickly took a dark turn.

Her manager was ruthless when it came to numbers. Jane was told that she had to approach 100 LinkedIn users per day - yup that's a reality - no matter what. She felt like this was not the right way to do things, but if this big company was doing it this way then maybe they were right...!

As she sent out hundreds of generic messages to LinkedIn users, the pressure started to mount. She had no training in how to recruit properly, and the messages she sent out were becoming more and more desperate. Obviously, no one was responding, making her feel like she was drowning in a sea of rejection.

Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, one candidate responded with a harsh message. He accused her of not even reading his profile, threatening to call her out online. She felt a pit in her stomach as she realized that she had become the very thing that she had always hated - just another gear in a machine that was ruthless and uncaring.

At the end of the week, she was called into her manager's office. She was expecting to be congratulated for trying so hard. But instead, he told her:

-"Jane dear... you're a failure! These numbers are too low. You're not cut out for the job."

Jane felt the world crumble around her. She had given up so many things to accept this challenge, but now it was all falling apart.

For a few days, she wandered around in a daze. She couldn't believe that it had all come to this. But then something inside her snapped. She realized that she wasn't the problem - the system was. And she wasn't going to take it anymore.

With a newfound determination, Jane set out to find a way to make a real difference. She knew there had to be a better way to recruit - a way that valued the candidate experience as much as the bottom line. And she was going to be the one to find it. And in no time she did!

Jane's story is a cautionary tale for anyone in the recruiting industry. The pressure to perform can be overwhelming, but it's important to remember that there's more to recruiting than just numbers. It's about people, their uniqueness and finding the right fit. And if Jane could find a way to do it so can YOU!

Recruiting is both an art and a science that requires a delicate balance of metrics, training, and a positive candidate experience. With the focus on key performance indicators (KPIs) and critical drivers (the specific actions that lead to KPIs), recruiters are often under intense pressure to deliver results. However, a lack of training and unrealistic expectations can lead to a subpar candidate experience and a bad reputation for the company and the recruiter. In this article, we'll explore how to balance metrics, training, and candidate experience to achieve recruiting success.

"...companies must remember that a few positive interactions deliver more hires than many negative ones."

The Science of Metrics and KPIs in Recruiting

In recruiting, measuring Critical Drivers and KPIs is the bread and butter of success. They provide data and analytics to track progress and identify areas for improvement. From the number of interviews and job submissions to the number of hires and time-to-fill, recruiters use metrics to measure the effectiveness of their strategies, which helps them become better and more efficient. But in the absence of proper training and support, even the best metrics can result in a disappointing candidate experience, resulting in lower hiring rates.

The Art of Training in Recruiting

Recruiting is a multifaceted profession that demands both technical expertise and human connection. It is not enough for a recruiter to simply possess a set of cold, hard skills - they must also be able to connect with candidates on a human level. Soft skills like effective communication, emotional intelligence, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion are crucial for recruiters who want to succeed in the industry. A secret weapon to easily enhance these skills besides training? Work on your Self-Esteem.

When a recruiter is well-trained in these areas, they are able to navigate the complex recruiting process with confidence. They can ask the right questions, listen intently to the candidate's unique answers, understand their deep motivations and offer guidance and support throughout the process. This creates an outstanding candidate experience that leaves a positive impression on both the candidate and the company.

The Pressure to Deliver Results

Recruiters are often caught in a vicious cycle of delivering numbers and neglecting the human element of the recruiting process. Intense pressure to meet quotas and KPIs can cause recruiters to develop a narrow, myopic focus on metrics, which can lead to a cycle of poor candidate experiences.

It is important for companies to understand that the recruiting process is not just about numbers. It's about people, their experiences and their uniqueness. Poorly trained recruiters who fail to connect with candidates on a personal level can easily become robotic and impersonal. This can leave candidates feeling devalued and unimportant, which in turn can damage the reputation of both the recruiter and the company.

As someone who has recruited, bought recruitment services, trained and managed recruiters, and leads a tech recruiting firm, I have seen too many times the impact of bad recruitment experiences, and it saddens me to see candidates calling out recruiters online, who were not careful enough to provide a good experience. Too often, this is the result of companies placing undue pressure on recruiters to deliver, without providing them with the necessary training and support to do their job effectively. Recruiters may bear the brunt of candidates' criticisms for undervaluing their experiences, skills, and time, but in reality, it's often the companies that are responsible for creating such a toxic recruiting culture, being the ones that should be subject to criticism for the negative candidate experience that recruiters enforce.

To break the cycle of poor candidate experiences and bad reputation, companies must recognize the importance of empathy, and effective communication in the recruitment process. Only by investing in the right training and resources can recruiters deliver the kind of candidate experience that leaves a lasting positive impression on both the candidate and the company.

Finally, companies must remember that a few positive interactions deliver more hires than many negative ones.

Balancing Metrics, Training, and Candidate Experience

Recruiting is a multifaceted discipline that requires a delicate balance between the art and science of hiring. On the one hand, metrics and KPIs are essential for tracking progress and measuring the effectiveness of recruiting. On the other hand, the art of recruiting involves soft skills such as empathy, effective communication, diversity and inclusion, which are also trainable. The two must work together seamlessly to create a cohesive and effective recruiting process.

By prioritizing a positive candidate experience, companies can attract top talent and create a positive employer brand that will set them apart from the competition. In today's hyper-competitive job market, a positive candidate experience is more critical than ever. Candidates have many options, and they are likely to choose a company that makes them feel valued and appreciated throughout the recruitment process.

So, if you're like Jane and you are tired of feeling like a mere cog in the recruitment machine, pressured to achieve unrealistic metrics at the expense of candidate experience and your own professional growth, don't settle for mediocrity when there are companies out there that prioritize the art and science of recruitment.

Imagine working for an employer that values your expertise, invests in your training, and fosters a positive candidate experience. If this resonates with you, it's time to explore your options and seek out a company that understands the challenges of recruitment and the impact of doing it the right way. I happen to know that Fernanda Morais has the opportunity you've been searching for - a chance to work with top talent and drive recruitment success while prioritizing what truly matters. Why not take the leap and see where it takes you?

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