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Recruiting Using Metrics and Objectives

Steve Lowisz
The following is adapted from Recruiting Sucks… But it Doesn’t Have To: Breaking Through the Myths That Got Us Here.

As recruiters, we want hiring managers to select from the candidates we put in front of them. But what if they end up with the best of the worst because the role wasn’t clearly defined? They compare among who they have in front of them because they need to fill the role, instead of comparing each candidate to a minimum standard!

I’ve had leaders admit to me that they’ve made hires who probably didn’t meet the bar, but they hired them anyway because that’s all that was put in front of them.

Minimum standards are a must.

I believe that in recruiting, there should always be a minimum standard that a candidate must meet in order for us to present them to a hiring manager. This way, there is a much higher probability that every submittal is a quality candidate and actually fits the hiring manager’s needs. It’s how we can ensure that we are on the same page as their expectations.

So, how do we set this minimum standard?

We need to begin by defining this standard during initial intake with the hiring manager. Oftentimes they haven’t considered specific measurable objectives that will be expected from a new hire. Which means that a lot of our candidate selections are left up to instinct.

Without specific accountabilities, how will we really know what expectations a candidate will need to meet?

Getting a clear picture from day one about ALL the details of a role will result in a lot less surprises and disappointment down the road. You’ll be able to rate a potential candidate’s capabilities and experiences against the minimum standard.

We need to have a quality and performance-centered mindset.

Every single employee in an organization should have clear, measurable objectives. Unfortunately, most companies do not do this. We need to encourage our hiring managers to figure out the key performance indicators, how we’re going to measure that performance, and how often.

Deciding if a candidate is good or bad is not so black and white.

It’s about if a candidate is good or bad for a particular position, a particular manager, a particular company, etc. What one company would consider a good candidate may not be true for another. It’s important not to make assumptions or generalize the type of candidates we think are needed for certain positions for different people.

Defining a minimum standard for every job that you recruit for will help you exponentially in the search for candidates.

Let’s embrace the fact that as recruiters, we have the power to make or break a company based on the candidates we put in front of them. Make sure you’re submitting the best of the best!

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To learn more about the issues that are holding us back in recruiting and how we should do things differently, don’t forget to check out my book: Recruiting Sucks… But it Doesn’t Have ToGet your copy on Amazon today by clicking right here!