Here's how you can learn from unsuccessful recruiting efforts and improve for the future.

Every recruiter faces failure. We have to bounce back from rejection regularly, but when a project falls apart it is important to do a deep dive on where things went wrong. Did we understand the role and problems that need to be solved? Was the scope of the search, compensation, and the ideal candidate profile realistic? Did we set the proper expectations with our customers? Where in the process could we have done something different to affect the outcome? Sometimes things fall apart that are totally out of our control, but there is almost always something to learn!

Experiencing failure allows us to discover our strengths and weaknesses, enabling us to better define our ideal career in talent acquisition or recruitment. I believe that success hinges on effective communication, constructive feedback, continuous learning from experiences, and refining the hiring process. Moreover, it's time for us to review each stage of your recruitment process to identify where things might have gone wrong, determine if there were any skill gaps, ensure clear communication with candidates, refine Interview Technique's and so on.

Conduct thorough post-mortem reviews to identify areas for improvement, such as sourcing strategies, candidate screening processes, or interviewing techniques. Seek feedback from both internal stakeholders and candidates to gain valuable insights. Analyze data and metrics to pinpoint bottlenecks or inefficiencies. Be open to constructive criticism and approach setbacks with a growth mindset. Implement changes based on lessons learned, such as refining job descriptions, enhancing employer branding, or streamlining recruitment workflows. Continuously upskill through training, networking, and staying updated on industry best practices. Celebrate small wins and share success stories to reinforce positive changes.

L'échec fait partie de la progression, le tout c'est de comprendre d'où viennent les erreurs pour ne plus les commettre à nouveau ensuite.

At every point in a recruiter's career they will experience failure. Maybe it was a candidate that dropped out at the last minute or a candidate profile that keeps getting rejected by the hiring team. The key is to learn from the experience. In every issue or mistake the error is usually in the communication loop, and asking for feedback is key in resolving the situation. Actively listening to the hiring team or reaffirming the skills needed and resetting the criteria is honestly the best way of addressing and resolving the issue.

It's a step that is often neglected. In my experience, certain positions had a trend of candidate rejections despite competitive offers. In these cases, it's crucial to contact candidates for feedback, as it can highlight areas for internal improvement. Hiring managers should also provide their insights since this trend is not healthy for the recruitment process. For example, I spent 6+ months hiring for a senior position, interviewing candidates and making 6 offers, all of which were rejected! After reaching out, I found candidates had either accepted other roles or were unhappy with the interview process. By gathering feedback, I knew we needed to set a timelines between stages and help hiring managers to improve candidate experience.

We usually tend to NOT collect a detailed feedback when a Hiring Manager rejects few candidates and also have selected a couple. I feel its equally important to seek detailed feedback of the rejected candidates. Offered declined candidates feedback certainly helps to understand what was the difference makers in his/her decision to consider another opportunity. This will help to collate a list of opportunities to improve.

Pour pouvoir se remettre en question et améliorer sa pratique, il est nécessaire d'obtenir tous les feedbacks. Qu'ils soient du côté hiring manager ou des candidats. Cela peut nous permettre de faire le point sur le marché, voir ce qui est réellement important et parfois même de recadrer les hiring manager :)

2. Seek feedback from candidates and team members: Reach out to candidates who participated in the recruitment process to gather feedback on their experience. Ask about what attracted them to the position, where they felt the process fell short, and how you can enhance the recruitment experience in the future. Additionally, consult with your team members involved in the recruiting efforts to gain insights into their perspectives on what could be improved.

Reach out to hiring managers, interviewers, and other stakeholders involved in the process. Gather their feedback on what went wrong and areas for improvement. Their insights can provide valuable perspectives and help identify areas for growth.

Analyzing data by examining metrics such as application-to-hire ratio, time-to-fill, and candidate feedback, can identify patterns and areas for enhancement. Looking at where candidates drop off in the recruitment process provides insights into areas needing clarification. Also, analyzing the effectiveness of different recruitment channels helps optimize resource allocation for future roles.

Data driven decisions are equally important as the gut feel of a recruiter. External dependencies and their shortfalls can be monitored accurately with data viz. Vendor performance, referrals from certain individuals, candidates dropping during certain time or from a location etc. According to me both gut feel and data driven decisions go hand in hand.

Les datas sont des repères importants et nécessaires mais pas seulement. Il est requis de réaliser un brief complet avec les hiring manager et de prendre bien le temps de creuser avec les candidats afin d'être certain que la majorité des éléments matchent.

3. Evaluate the effectiveness of your recruitment strategies: Assess the performance of your recruitment strategies, including the use of job boards, social media, networking events, and employee referrals. Determine which channels yielded the best results and which ones may need to be adjusted or replaced. Additionally, consider the messaging and branding used in your recruitment materials to ensure they resonate with the target audience.

Leverage data and analytics to gain insights into recruitment metrics, such as time-to-fill, candidate conversion rates, and source effectiveness. Analyze this data to identify patterns, trends, and areas for improvement.

Je ne réalisais pas de score card auparavant, dorénavant, j'utilise cette technique pour être vigilant quant à l'analyse des profils via les compétences plus que le feeling.

4. Enhance candidate experience and engagement: Make sure that your recruitment process is candidate-centric and provides a positive experience for applicants. Communicate clearly and regularly with candidates throughout the hiring process, offer timely feedback, and create opportunities for engagement and interaction. Improving the candidate experience can help attract top talent and increase the likelihood of successful hires.

Assess the effectiveness of your sourcing strategies. Determine if you are targeting the right channels, utilizing appropriate job boards, or leveraging social media platforms effectively. Adjust your sourcing methods based on the insights gained from unsuccessful efforts.

I am learning newer tricks for the trade even after 20+ years of my career in TA and recruitments. There should be no role you should take up where your are no learning or enhancing your skills. A lot of tools and techniques, training materials are made available at no or small cost on learning the new sourcing techniques and reducing the dependencies on expensive job portals.

Etre curieux et faire beaucoup de veille sont des éléments importants lorsque nous sommes recruteurs. Il nous faut avoir une longueur d'avance sur les clients et une connaissance solide du marché pour les candidats afin de les orienter au mieux.

5. Update and refine your recruitment strategies: Based on the insights gathered from your analysis and feedback, make necessary adjustments to your recruitment strategies. This may involve revising job descriptions, refining selection criteria, exploring new recruiting channels, enhancing employer branding, or implementing new technologies to streamline the hiring process. Continuously monitor the effectiveness of these strategies and be open to making further improvements as needed.

By taking a proactive approach to learning from unsuccessful recruiting efforts and implementing strategic changes, you can enhance your recruitment processes and increase your chances of success in attracting top talent for your organization.

Invest in interviewer training to ensure consistency and effectiveness in candidate evaluations. Provide guidance on conducting structured interviews, assessing skills and cultural fit, and avoiding bias. Continuous training can improve the quality of candidate assessments.

Ensure that your job descriptions accurately reflect the role and its requirements. Sometimes, vague or overly ambitious job postings can attract the wrong candidates. Make sure they are clear, concise, and aligned with what you’re truly looking for.