What do you do if your recruiting methods are being criticized?

Ask where they got the audacity probably. ;) Look some criticism may be valid. We have to keep an open mind and remember that folks see us (and our processes) through the lens of their own experience. We should inspect the complaints and if there are issues that need addressing, take the time to do so. If not, be prepared to prove through data the WHY behind certain processes or policies. Recruiting is a partnership and should be treated as such.

Interessante Frage, wenn Recruiting Methoden kritisiert werden, sollte man reflektieren und erfragen, was genau der Punkt ist. Ich kenne das eher dass nicht Methoden sondern Ergebnisse kritisiert werden, nach dem Motto "lieber Recruiter, du hast uns nicht in der Anzahl und Tempo die Kandidaten geliefert, die wir uns wünschen". Da sollte man dann ganz dringend als Recruiter schauen: Werden mir die nötigen Ressourcen für das Liefern dieser Ergebnisse bereitgestellt? Hier fehlt meist Know How, Tools, Budgets und leider kann ohne das ein Recruiter auch nicht zaubern. Zusätzlich sollte man prüfen wird mir im Recruiting gut genug zugearbeitet? Erhalte ich von der Fachabteilung genug Informationen, was bei der Stelle wichtig ist usw.

Any feedback is important. Is the negative feedback pervasive? Then you probably have a systemic issue on your hands. But if the feedback is one-off, you may be able to ignore it.

Are you really a recruiter if someone doesn’t think they know better? Seriously though, it starts with being transparent. I take my hiring managers along with through the entire process but sharing real time updates on interviews in progress, where candidates are at each stage and am honest to a fault about the state of the candidates pipeline and role. It starts with communication and collaboration with hiring manager. Recruiting is a team sport.

It's important to be open to feedback but you also have the power to decide what feedback you're willing to implement and what you'd like to discard. Recruiting is a partnership, so hearing your partners' feedback and helping to ensure the process works for them is important. However, you don't have to just accept that feedback. You can showcase to them, hopefully with examples, why your methods work and explain the "why" behind them. Ultimately, recruiters are the experts and it's our job to help provide education to our partners. Be flexible where you can but also know when to stand your ground.

If my methods were being questioned, I would ask for more details to see where there could have been a lack of training from my onboarding. Was I trained thoroughly? Were there details I wasn't told upfront on expectations?

Be open and transparent about your recruiting methods. Explain why certain approaches are used and the rationale behind them. Transparency can help alleviate concerns and build trust. Encourage feedback from candidates, employees, and stakeholders involved in the recruiting process. Their insights can provide valuable perspectives on how to improve your methods.

Find out the specifics, and try to understand if you can act on the feedback given. Learn where the flaws are, and you will be able to adapt where possible. Ask other people that also use the system if they are finding similar issues, or if this is a one off.

I being open is crucial to self development. I find if feedback stings there is usually some blind spot that is being highlighted. This is an opportunity! Research and get curious is my advice.

I find that the negative feedback only comes from people outside my field so I try not to take it personally. They may not understand how recruiting works.

Based on your review and evaluation, implement changes to your recruiting methods in a responsible and thoughtful manner. Prioritize changes that address the most pressing concerns raised by stakeholders and have the potential to have the greatest positive impact on the recruiting process. Communicate the rationale behind the changes to stakeholders and provide support and training as needed to facilitate their implementation.

Improvements should be discussed with the 'complaining' party. The only thing worse than a poor process, is a process that was changed and not improved. Don't waste time, speak and plan before you implement. Find the core of the issue, and make sure that is what you are resolving as a priority.

With a clear understanding of the criticism and the specific areas that need attention, develop a plan to implement improvements. This might involve revising your job descriptions, enhancing your communication with candidates, or updating your interview techniques. Ensure that any changes align with your overall recruitment goals and values. A well-thought-out plan will not only address the criticism but also demonstrate your commitment to excellence in recruiting.

Engage in constructive dialogue with those who are criticizing your methods. Address their concerns respectfully and be willing to consider alternative perspectives. If criticisms are public, ensure your messaging reflects your commitment to addressing concerns and improving your recruiting processes. Transparency and accountability are key in managing public perception.

Never be afraid to look for process improvement and self reflection. Feedback from others can provide a unique or different perspective.

Changes are hard to communicate. Even when you think you've involved a good representation of people, there'll always be people who feel like their voices weren't heard. You can't involve and please them all otherwise you'll never be able to make any changes. A good comms plan to begin with though is crucial - when are you going to announce it (make sure any final testing has been done, is it during school holidays when some staff may be off), is it short and brief, what methods/platforms will the change be communicated on/via (internal newsletter, intranet etc) and do you have any deadlines/target dates and a call to action? Provide a contact in the event of any questions/queries though.

Many years ago I learnt the mantra of measure, manage and improve. This has stuck with me and remains relevant today. If you are not measuring you cannot manage the situation - whatever that may be and this applies to all scenarios not just recruitment! It all starts with measurements but don’t over analyse so you don’t take any action! Critical Success Factors - what are these and what are the KPI’s? Keep it simple 😊

Using your monitor, you can monitor your results (deliberate pun use, sorry notsorry). Ensure you have a comms cell/spreadsheet to track your progress in terms of what changes were made and when, then cross-reference with any dashboard(s) setup that pulls reports on various aspects of your recruitment efforts as well as any feedback surveys you have that goes out. If you are fortunate enough to have PowerBI in your organisation setup that can pull various data sources, then this will make it easier to cross-reference.

Ask if your methods are affecting the time to hire, the organization's bottom dollar, or not producing hires?? If the answer is no to all of these or no improvements were recommended, then it sounds more like a complaint than criticism.

These open criticisms are coming from a place of not understanding how these processes occur and the compliance parameters recruiting functions under. It's great to hear perspectives and apply changes when applicable, but all if not most of these critiques are coming from those who aren't qualified to make these assumptions. It's alarming how recruiting gets the negativity it does from those who have never done the job