Dear Recruiter...

This week I want to talk about candidate experience.

When markets become uncertain, two key trends emerge. First, candidates are less likely to re-enter the job market due to concerns about job security. Second, employers realise that it's an employer-centric market for the first time in a while, and stop investing in things like candidate experience, because they believe they hold all the cards.

But people won't forget what those experiences felt like. And top talent, who always have options, simply won't come back.

The other part of the equation is what a good candidate experience actually looks like. It's not static. Yes, businesses should provide FAQs, hiring manager profiles, and workplace reviews to reassure candidates about internal growth opportunities—all the things we've learned candidates want from the hiring process. But today's candidates are also concerned about financial stability and job security. They want to know about the company's financial runway, recent layoffs, and overall solvency. So you need to adapt.

As always, if you have thoughts on this, email me at dear.recruiter@pinpointhq.com

📈 Data Point: The State of TA Leadership

Data and insights direct from the Pinpoint team

In our recent State of TA Leadership survey, we asked about the most important hiring metrics for your business. The results above aren't a surprise. These are certainly important metrics to your function. These are the things that recruitment leaders need to look at to keep the team running.

But these aren’t necessarily the most important metrics to your business. And this represents an opportunity for you to do more.

What are the bigger picture numbers that tell a story to leadership? What are the recruitment metrics that tie into your business hitting its revenue goals? There's no one-size-fits-all answer, but it's food for thought.

🎙️ Rectec Reels: Onboarding

Rectec Reels with Henna Makwana

I recently had the pleasure of joining Henna Makwana on Rectec® Reels to chat all things onboarding. 

Onboarding is an often forgotten part of the hiring process. TA teams own recruitment; HR teams manage employee lifecycles. But the bit in the middle—the actual onboarding part—can be painful.

I talk to TA folks all the time and even those at large, mature organisations are missing a trick here. Henna and I discussed some practical advice for this, including mapping the process, adding automation, and the nice, fluffy stuff too—you can watch it on YouTube here.

📍 The Pinboard

What's new in recruitment?

• If you're in New York, or anywhere close by, don't miss this. "From Buzzwords to Boardroom: Mastering HR Messaging for C-Suite Impact" is a breakfast event featuring a keynote from Peter Phelan , hosted by Instant Impact , in partnership with Pinpoint and the team at Talivity . This event is all about the "how" when it comes to getting those strategic conversations going between TA and C-Suite. If you're available on September 10th, register your interest here.
• Post-Recfest UK, Hung Lee has updated his big list of recruiting events, and more are being added all the time. Check it out here.
• A reminder for UK-based recruiters in the hospitality industry— Tech On Toast is hosting a brunch event on the 17th of September on using data to inform your recruitment strategy—I'll be there and I'd love to see you join us. RSVP here to secure a seat.
• The Pinpoint product spotlight for July is out—read it here to see what's new.

📋 Recruitment Plan Template

From Pinpoint's resources

This week I'm sharing this free resource, which remains one of our most popular downloads to date. It's a simple planning template which outlines the essential steps to manage your recruitment strategy and process.

And while I'm sharing this, I'd love to know what other resources you'd like to see.

If there's a template or download you think we're missing, email me at dear.recruiter@pinpointhq.com and we'll see what we can do.

Signing off with a nod to Hung Lee 's brilliant Olympic-themed analysis in the latest edition of Recruiting Brainfood (subscribing to more than one recruiting newsletter is encouraged around here).

The section on "Calibrate Management to Career Trajectory" stood out to me—making sure you understand where every team member is on their life and career journeys and applying management techniques accordingly.

It's crucial that the TA team dig into this at the point of hiring, and then bring it into the onboarding process to set clear expectations on both sides. At Pinpoint I run a 'Tour of Duty' meeting with every new hire to understand what they want to get out of their time with the company, and then check in with them as their tenure progresses. I'd love to know if other orgs are doing something similar.

All the best,

Tom Hacquoil

Pinpoint CEO