How to Make the Case to Leadership About the Pains You're Experiencing as a Recruiter

Ah, the subtle art of complaining. We’ve all been there. 

For recruiters like yourself, conveying the pains you face on a regular basis to leadership who may be disconnected from those day-to-day struggles can be quite challenging. They’re not in the trenches with you every day, and the competition for recruitment is fierce. So when your senior leadership better understands the issues you face behind the scenes, it can help them appreciate the importance of investing more in improving your processes. So let’s dive into some ways we can make sure this squeaky wheel gets some much-needed grease.

Hit ‘Em With the Hard Facts

First things first, it’s all about the cold hard facts. Start by collecting the data necessary to demonstrate the impact your current practices are having on your recruitment process. Ask yourself questions like: What’s the average cost per hire for your organization? What’s the current time-to-fill? What’s the cost of open roles that remain unfilled? 

Present this data in an easy-to-digest format and highlight the areas that are in need of improvement. This information will help your leadership understand the current state of affairs and the need for change. (If you need a little help on this front, our ROI Calculator should come in handy!)

Make sure you also mention the candidates that slip through your fingers. Senior leadership may not always recognize the impact of lost candidates on a daily basis, so be sure to talk about the times a candidate slipped through the cracks of your recruitment process due to an inefficient workflow or a competitor who got to them first. By articulating these specific examples, leaders will have a clearer understanding of the importance of preventing them.

Don’t Just Be a Negative Nancy

Now with the problem statements out of the way, offer some solutions! Proposing different ways of making workflows easier and more efficient is vital to gain traction in these types of conversations. Include suggestions such as better software solutions, social media targeting strategies, or implementing AI-powered tools to help remove repetitive and tedious tasks from your plate.

Lastly, quantify the potential return on investment (ROI) of your proposed solutions. If you're suggesting a new software, for instance, calculate how it could shorten your hiring cycle and reduce your overall cost per hire. Show how improved workflows could lead to better candidate quality, and how that could, in turn, improve your organization's outcomes.

Now we’re not going to lie—it’s gonna be a tough chat. But it’s an absolutely crucial one if you want to ultimately achieve your team’s goals and, let’s be honest, make your life easier. Remember, the goal is not just to point out the issues, but to drive home the need for change and the value it can bring to the organization. So be honest and illustrate how your current hiring process gaps are negatively affecting your organization’s brand and success when it comes to effectively recruiting. Assure your leadership that real and reasonable fixes exist and can be put in place, and don’t forget to mention that sweet sweet ROI.

So go forth, complain like a pro, propose killer solutions, and watch the magic happen. Your team will thank you, and so will your organization (they just might not know it yet).