Tools
Take a bite from TripleByte
Use some basic tech assessments based on the team/level/project of the role to do a technical assessment. This will allow proactive alignment with preskilled candidates against reqs. You could use existing QBR KPIs for engineers on that team to determine the quality of code that is expected for each assessment. RSAs could be something we actively start to advertising on LinkedIn and would give our incoming database an untold amount of data that we could then mine for who knows what or how long.
Contract Recruiter Resource Planning
I was hired for a 6 month contract that was cut to 3 months before we even get halfway through. Now we are down to 3 month contracts instead of the original 3.
This was for everyone I've talked to which adds up to potentially millions of dollars in overhead that was required for the original budget but was decided it wasn't important within 3 months of starting?
RMT/Hygiene Process Tweak
RMT email sent prior to req strategy meeting - send qualification email prior to req strategy meeting to reduce time spent on verifying basic information like remote/citizenship/etc. Only thing recruiting would modify is RQs/PQs as all other fields are verified already.
I've talked to several HMs about this and have seen the intake call for Azure - we could easily implement this with existing systems.
Every team hires differently and we don't utilize that. We have a great platform to experiment across different process to see what does/doesn't work. We might already have an objectively amazing process for hiring backend engineers, we just don't know it. Let's start to find out.
CoPilot - The Return of Clippy!
Use CoPilot to train on all of our training material to make a Q&A bot. This will save time (money) spent wasted just waiting for answers and even if it isn't able to answer 100% of the time, imagine how much time will be saved by even half. It's already built into Teams so we could have a chat where the questions go (also the more questions asked/correctly answered the more accurate the model) and if the bot (called it Clippy because we're funny) doesn't know then a SME (preset on that channel) will get a ping to respond. These pings will build the library of questions Clippy can answer.
Hiring the Wrong Folks....
...for recruiters because we don't really recruit, we manage projects.
We are hiring senior recruiters (10-20 YOE) to do a job for half what they are worth which is more than what it would take a 2-3 year project manager to handle and they could do a better job.
If we were converting them into FTEs that would make sense but that doesn't seem to be the strategy. The hiring process here is more aligned with project management anyway so we'll get more out of our recruiters if we treat and train them like PMs.
On the Same Page
When Core went through it's hiring prioritization there were 3 core lists and they didn't match up on role level. Finance, chief of staff, recruiting - the rationale is that it's too hard to align them - so first let's find out what the impact of such a high level misalignment is, then find out why it's too hard, then work to a best case solution to find a better way to stay aligned. Check across other larger orgs to see if this is a smaller or larger issue, or no issue at all.
Data analytics on TA metrics is something I've heard we do but not something I've actually seen. What questions are being asked? What's being tracked? What's that data being used for? We have some of the best DS talent in the world, are we utilizing them int his?
The Memo Meeting
Essentially before any meeting just ask if this could be summed up in a short one page memo. If yes then do that.
Recruiting as Marketing
We advertise our benefits, comp, projects, etc. but we don't have any attempt to play up our interview process. Mainly because it's nothing to write home about though if we were to fix that then it could get a new way of engaging with talent.
TAP it out
TAP Team - small dynamic teams that focus on org-specific interview/process flows
TAP team is made up of 1 recruiter, 1 HR, and ideally one person from analytics (they come in later) to do funnel analytics. Their focus is building an efficient process that meets the pain points of those directly involved in the process while still remaining compliant.
Grab Your Compass
Map every single part of the recruitment process with the three main stages being Req Creation (headcount to being able to be posted/interviewed against), Interview (from sourcing to offer approval/signing), Onboarding - who is invovled at what stage, what is the SLA, how efficient are we - (I imagine this stuff is already tracked and asked but bring it up anyway.
Job Descriptions Galore!
They are too long and too filled with fluff. We should look at the bare minimum required by law and then add on from there with KISS as the guiding principal.
Start simple and add what's required - rebuild annually or as major legal changes require.
Book Learnins'
Several trainings we've been through are so involved as to miss the point, like JPEDD. It was essentially adding one sentence and a timeframe yet there were several multi-hour trainings on this.
Much of our training also seems to be driven by PPT and videos vs more engagement. We could onboard quicker if we had some more hands on with fake profiles they can take through the interview process, for example.
Skip before we Sprint
With projects like this where there are hundreds of thousands of records, have someone on the team run through 50-100 of them to see what hijinks pop up.
This lets us get ahead of problems, figure out how long it will take to complete so we can forecast how long projects will take, and also give us a metric by which we can measure future similar projects.
Battleships and Ballroom Dancing
We're big, it takes a while to do anything - ask why, find the reason. If there isn't a reason then there's no reason to not be more dynamic. Aim as if we can move quickly and build processes around that. We don't need to all move at once, just in the same direction. Think of how Napoleon fought his way through Europe: moved divided and fight united.