Recruiters need to make money from LinkedIn - they spend enough time on it! And I am often asked by Recruitment Leaders about whether LinkedIn Recruiter (and other LinkedIn licences) are with the money. So, what kind of ROI should you expect from LinkedIn?
Do You Know How Much LinkedIn Is Worth to You?
I am a massive fan of Return of Investment (ROI) when using social media, and I’m not talking about silly and vain “like”, “follower”, ”share” metrics. I get why marketers think these are important (I know they are), but the majority of my agency recruitment clients want £$€ stats.
Now if you are a good boy / girl, you’ll know that what you find on social media in terms of leads needs to be recorded on your lovely CRM (no excuses, it’s your job!) If I came in to your business now and asked you for report on how many opportunities / leads / placements you’ve made from LinkedIn, would you be able to tell me? And would you know how many grade A candidates you’ve found on this platform? Would you know how much £$€ you’d lose if the CEO of LinkedIn pulled the plug, or worse made your free license totally chargeable?
Most of the recruiters I work with are working on that metric (phew), but many more out there are not. They see using LinkedIn as a given; they don’t measure its success apart from the “it just takes one placement…” (yawn… I’ve heard this mantra since the early 2000s when job boards were a massive expense to recruiters, and it didn’t wash with me then).
Placement Fees Are Down – Cost of Hire Is Up
I have a horrid feeling that just like placement fees have been going down in recent years, the cost of hire has gone up (or worse recruiters don’t know what their cost of hire is). This is not good when you consider that most users of social media are not even paying for the privilege. Worse, they are spreading themselves so thinly with more systems / processes / devices, and their leaders have low expectations of these things that it’s just a total mess and the risks are massive. Time wastage, data loss, brand erosion is common.
So, I think that the average recruitment director lives in the following world:
Your staff are simply “on” LinkedIn – zero strategy for what they need to be doing with it
You have little idea what activities your staff are undertaking online
You are not measuring these activities (input or output)
You have a low expectation of their online activity
Your CRM has no clue that LinkedIn exists
Your risk is massive – lots of recruiters behaving like hair dressers renting chairs, zero visibility over the data they are collecting on your watch and an assumption that your contract covers this (rumour control: the data they collect belongs to LinkedIn, not your recruiters or you!)
If this is you, how do you feel about this? Are you are happy or do you think you deserve better? What would you do if LinkedIn removed free licenses? Are you actually in a position to constructively evaluate the value of LinkedIn Recruiter license without focusing on the cost? (Rumour control: I’m totally impartial but am nagging all of my clients to review the LinkedIn Recruiter product so they are better educated and ready for the inevitable change that their business faces).
Although I don’t think that recruiters will ever be forced to pay for LinkedIn, I do feel that you get what you pay for. After all, there’s a reason why many recruiters don’t rate free job boards! There are some pretty decent functions in the Recruiter system and they are giving many a recruiter a competitive edge.
I think that the era of “free” social media is coming to an end. The time spent on using it needs quantifying (many recruiters measure phone calls, sendouts, in branches, placements). Recruitment directors need to raise their expectations and implement business-process-led activities which are visible, measurable and the output of which belongs to the business. This will not only help the progression of the business in the digital world, but will also help with business cases for the competitive use (not free use) of social tools.
What do you think? Are you a recruitment director/manager/leader? Do you have social media “nailed down” in your business? Do you know its £$€ value? What are your expectations of it?
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Stop Losing Placements: Your 3-Step Plan to Pre-empt the Counter Offer or Drop Out
Every recruitment consultant knows the feeling. You’ve invested weeks building a relationship, found the perfect role, secured the offer, and then... heartbreak! The candidate accepts a counter offer and / or drops out.It’s an emotional and costly recruitment defeat.It seems that the candidates that you spend the most time on, are the ones that are more likely to break your heart.But these dropouts aren't random acts of betrayal; they are the often result of candidates not being educated about the harsh realities of a counter offer.We, as the recruitment industry, have a critical role to play in managing the candidate lifecycle and preventing this pain. We must stop hoping a candidate won't be counter-offered and start actively managing the process.Here is your straightforward guide to preventing counter offers, armed with the data you need to make the case.❓And whilst you read this ask yourself "how can I use Bullhorn to help me prevent counter offers and protect my pipeline?"❓How can you use note templates, emails, messages, tasks to make light work of the process? (Watch our Optimise Bullhorn Part 6 ~ Easy Candidate Management Webinar for tips)💥The Stark Reality: A Counter Offer is a Short-Term FixBefore you can coach a candidate, you need to understand the data. Counter offers and drop outs don't just "suck" for the client and the recruitment consultant, they are detrimental for the candidate as well in the long term.Here are the compelling stats you need to share with your candidate from screening through to offer and start date!Inevitable! 80% of candidates who accept a counter offer leave their current employer within six months.Pointless! 9 out of 10 candidates who accept a counter offer leave within twelve months.Regret! 50% of candidates who accept a counter offer are actively looking for a new job again within 60 days, indicating immediate regret.The primary reason a counter offer is made is financial for the employer, as it can cost up to 213% of an annual salary to replace your candidate.The lesson is clear: A counter offer is almost always a panicked, short-term measure by an employer to avoid the high cost and hassle of an immediate replacement, not a genuine, long-term commitment to the employee’s happiness or career progression. ... And the reasons your candidate wanted to leave in the first place are still there.1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ Your 3-Step Counter Offer Prevention PlanThe key to preventing dropouts is to pre-empt the counter offer during the initial screening process. You must be proactive and get the candidate to process the scenario before they resign.🙈Step 1: Gather Intel on Company CultureMake it standard practice to gather intelligence on the candidate’s current company during the screening call. This isn't just about their skill set; it's about their employer's retention strategy.Key Questions to Ask:"Is there a known counter offer culture within your business?""What is the typical reaction when people resign from your organisation?""Are you aware of the firm's reputation for dealing with departing employees?"This research not only gives you crucial intelligence but also starts the candidate thinking critically about their current employer’s motivations.🙊Step 2: Get Them to Acknowledge the LikelihoodThe next step is to get the candidate to acknowledge and vocalise the likely sequence of events."Let’s be realistic: based on what you’ve told me, you will probably be counter-offered when you hand in your notice.""I need you to tell me now, what is likely to happen when you resign? What will your manager say to try and keep you?"By making the candidate admit what’s likely to happen, you remove the element of shock and flattering surprise when the counter offer is actually made. You own the narrative!🙉Step 3: Arm Them with the Facts (The Regret Factor)Now, you connect your intelligence gathering with the hard data. This is the final, crucial step: educate the candidate so they can manage the emotional moment of resignation.Tell them:It’s Not About Them: Their employer is only offering them more money because it’s easier and cheaper than replacing them right now. The trust is likely broken, and they are now a known flight risk who will probably be overlooked for future opportunities.The Core Problems Remain: The original reasons for their resignation—lack of progression, management issues, or company culture—are still there. A simple pay rise won’t fix the broken relationship or the fundamental job dissatisfaction.They Will Regret It: Remind them of the statistics: 9 out of 10 people who accept a counter offer are gone within a year. They’ll be looking for a new role again within six months, only this time, they’ve burnt a bridge with your client.💡By using data to manage the candidate experience and ensuring you have an open, honest discussion about the realities of a counter offer, you can manage this part of the candidate lifecycle and prevent the heartache and protect your pipeline. 👀Keep your eyes peeled! We'll be following this blog with ideas on how automation can help you make light work of preventing and managing drops outs and counter offers.Automation Buddy / Bullhorn RoIWe are Automation Buddies set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses who want to increase speed and sales.We coach to inspire, and build your automations so you can recruit and sell!Plus, through our Bullhorn Vision service we help generate serious ROI from your Bullhorn, data, and people.READ MORE ABOUT OUR BULLHORN VISION SERVICEREAD ABOUT OUR AUTOMATION BUDDY SERVICEBOOK YOUR FREE CONSULTATION
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Bullhorn Tip - Place More Jobs
We've got a simple 1-minute Bullhorn tip to help you place more jobs. It's time to filter, work and place (and earn!)Having too many jobs and not enough placements can be beyond frustrating. But we have a Bullhorn tip for you to help you focus on the jobs you can (and should) place! There's plenty Bullhorn can do to help you manage your jobs pipeline and recruitment workflow. It's Time to Place Your Jobs!Here's a quick bullhorn tip about why you should regularly update your job statuses in Bullhorn.Get focussed on the most profitable opportunities.Prioritise your efforts.Boost your earnings. Watch this 1-minute Bullhorn tip - then spend a few easy minutes creating focus and an easy path to placing more jobs. Watch Our 1-Minute Bullhorn Tip on How to Place Jobs QuickerNeed more Bullhorn / Automation Tips? Try our 1-minute tips.Be sure to sign up for (or watch the recordings of) our regular free Bullhorn and Automation webinars.CHECK OUT OUR WEBINARSAutomation Buddy / Bullhorn RoIWe are Automation and Bullhorn Buddies set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses who want to increase speed and sales.We coach to inspire, and build your automations so you can recruit and sell!Plus, through our Bullhorn Vision service we help generate serious ROI from your Bullhorn, data, and people.READ MORE ABOUT OUR BULLHORN VISION SERVICEREAD ABOUT OUR AUTOMATION BUDDY SERVICEBOOK YOUR FREE CONSULTATION