How do you become great at recruiting? What are common mistakes managers make in this process, and how can you avoid them? Today, we’re excited to have long time friend and Lighthouse customer Erin Wilson on the show to talk about his experience as one of the best recruiters in Silicon Valley.

In this episode we cover what you can do whether you’re on your own recruiting or have a world class team in your HR department to help you. We also share helpful, actionable tactics so you can immediately improve.

Show Notes:

• Bringing data into your recruiting process. Ask questions like:
  • How long does it take you to go from first round interview to offer?
  • What is your offer acceptance rate?
  • How many hours are you spending per hire? The average is 300-400 hours, but can be 30-40 if done well.
  • What is your churn rate in your pipeline (people accept other jobs - or choose to not continue)?
• Start small!
  • Start with a user story, not a full job description.
  • An example user story starts with just a few questions:
  • User story: 4-6 questions to make you think a little bit.
    • What’s the business need behind this hire?
    • On a scale 1-10, how hands on is this position?
    • How big is the existing team?
    • What is the current composition of the team (Skills, seniority)?
    • In the first 6 months will the person will produce in the role? (Outputs not tasks)
    • What base skills are necessary for this role?
    • What compensation do you have budgeted for this role?
    • Have you hired for this role before?
• The best companies in the world hire 1 person for every 7 they see. You do not need to interview 30 people to “get a feel for things.”
• “Execution still beats gimmicks every day.”  

Key actions for you to take today from the interview:

• Where can managers get started to learn more:
  • Look at Twitter and Reddit for great content advice
  • Examples of who to follow:
    • Arlan is building a startup in the inclusion space
    • Joel Lalgee is a fun and informative recruiter to follow
    • Great data and insights from Aline Lerner
    • Jennifer Kim is an experienced recruiter and was an early employee at Lever
  • Try getting feedback externally
    • Ask 3-5 people per day for a week on the edge or outside of your network for feedback on your job description
      • Ask them:
        • What do you think of this role?
        • What questions do you have?
        • Anything concern you?
        • You’re the archetype of what I’d be looking for, would you?  

Where to find and follow Erin:

• You can follow Erin and connect with him on Linkedin here.
• http://Team.ai is talent delivery in demand. For more info visit https://team.ai/talent-delivery-services, and mention the podcast, for a free hire when you sign with Team AI.  

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