Recruitment analytics: How you can use data to adjust your hiring process

 

For so long, recruiters have trusted our guts to make hiring decisions (myself included). However, it is hard to ignore the value that big data, and recruitment analytics, bring to talent acquisition. I checked in with Kevin Grossman, President of The Talent Board, the nonprofit that oversees the Candidate Experience Awards each year. He gives his insight below into how recruiting professionals can and should respond to data in their hiring process.

Grossman will deliver the closing keynote address at the College Recruiting Bootcamp on December 15, 2017. His presentation will address how to scale hiring by including non-traditional students and grads in the hiring process. Following his presentation, Grossman will moderate a panel to continue the conversation. Attendees will include leaders in HR, talent acquisition and university relations. To join us and hear what strategies and tactics you might not have considered yet to attract and retain entry-level talent, register for the bootcamp here.

How is big data transforming recruitment? 

Kevin Grossman: Modern neuroscience has shown us that humans aren’t very good decision makers, but with the help of sourcing algorithms that learn and get more accurate with more and more data over time — i.e., possible candidates — we’re getting better at narrowing down the list of talent we should pursue.

Where in the hiring process should recruiters respond to feedback data?

KG: All the touch points — from pre-application to onboarding and beyond — recruiting teams should be measuring candidate experience and identifying what should be improved upon. What’s clear with the 2017 North American Talent Board Candidate Experience Awards Benchmark Research is that 46% of candidates with an overall 1-star “poor” candidate experience (based on 1-5 Likert scale rating) say they’ll sever the “business” relationship with the employer they rated low. This means they won’t apply again, refer others or make purchases if and when applicable.

On the other hand, 74% of candidates with an overall 5-star “great” candidate experience say their increase the business relationship with the employer they rated high — apply again, refer others and make purchases.

The potential business impact is real.

Also read the white paper: Fix talent acquisition mistakes to avoid bad candidate experiences

What skills do recruiters typically lack in order to effectively shift to a data-driven mindset?

KG: Like most of us in the Talent business, we feel that we really know the right candidate when we hear and “see” them, meaning when we read their resumes, phone screen them  or interview them. But unconscious bias and our own preconceptions will always get in our way. It’s really about getting out of our own way and understanding what realties the data is telling us.

What industries are successfully using recruitment analytics?

KG: Based on Talent Board research, we’re seeing larger companies in technology, services and health care having the most success. And those companies are winning CandE Awards based on having the highest positive candidate experience ratings.

What should HR leaders do right now to incorporate recruitment analytics? 

[shameless plug alert!] KG: They need to participate in the 2018 Talent Board Candidate Experience Awards Benchmark Research!

 

About the College Recruiting Bootcamp

If you are faced with the challenges of hiring for entry-level talent at scale, increasing diversity, improving your candidate pool, and using technology that improves outcomes—join these conversations at the College Recruiting Bootcamp. It will be hosted by Intuit at their headquarters in Mountain View, CA on December 15, 2017.

The attendees will be your fellow leaders in talent acquisition, HR and university relations. This is College Recruiter’s 11th bootcamp, and like all the others, we are planning for the day to be highly interactive, collegial and informative. You’ll hear about the strategies and tactics being used today by your competitors. Learn more details and buy tickets here.

About Kevin Grossman: Kevin is currently the Talent Board President of Global Programs responsible for all aspects of the Candidate Experience Awards program and other Talent Board activities worldwide. He is a certified Talent Acquisition Strategist (TAS) and Human Capital Strategist (HCS) by HCI. He has over 18 years of domain expertise with the human resource and talent acquisition industry and related technology marketplace, and is a respected leader in recruiting, candidate experience, human resources and talent management.