2019

Global Recruiting Survey

Introduction
This publication marks the fourth year of the SocialTalent Global Recruitment
Survey. As we have tracked the thoughts and behaviours of recruiters from all
over the world we are privileged to see how trends can ebb and flow. More
importantly, we see how reality can differ from what is traditionally believed and
published throughout the recruitment industry.

As we dig deeper into the way recruiters work we can use the data collected to
turn anecdotal beliefs into fact or fiction. The focus of this survey is to provide
you with an overview of the behaviours and results exhibited by all types of
recruiters. As we analysed the results a narrative began to play out before us.

What types of behviours are more likely to lead you to success? More
importantly, how is that success measured? We dive into the differences
between proactive and reactive recruiting models and what steps you can take
to move from the former to the latter.

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About this survey…

Mix of agency, in-house

+1600 Responses 92 Countries
and third-party providers

Breakdown of survey respondents:

43.2% 31.6% 10.2% 9.1% 5.8%

In-house recruiter Agency recruiter Other RPO Self-employed/
freelance

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The Results
Average Tenure of a Recruiter

In-House 8.2years Our survery higlighted the average tenure of the recruiters. It was
little surprise to see Freelance recruiters at the top of the list.
After years of developing their skills either in an agency or working
within an organisation, some chose to break out and develop
RPO 6.1years
their own career.

The path from an agency towards working within an organisation

Third Party Agency 7.3years
is a well-worn route for recruiters

Freelance 9.73years

All 8.2years

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Average Requisition Load

In-House 14.44 This result is surprising…. When presenting this data at conferences
the general feeling was incredulity. Audience members felt that
these numbers were incredibly low. However, the overall ratio
makes sense. Freelance recruiters have to be more selective with
RPO 12.16
the jobs they accept as they need to manage their own time. They
don’t have a team of sourcers and resources to help divide the
work— they are in competition with their own discipline. Recruiters
Third Party Agency 9.73
working for an agency are under constant pressure to fill roles as
quickly as possible because of intense competition from other
agencies.
Freelance 8.34
In-house recruiters, however, cannot cherry pick roles they feel will
be easy to fill. They have to take on every req that is handed to
All 11.17 them in order to fulfil the needs of the business. An in-house
recruitment team often can’t rely on the help of an agency.

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 What’s your primary source for finding
candidates who are ultimately hired?

In-House
What does this mean from a Online Professional Networks: 50.4%

reactive vs strategic point of view? Job Boards: 21.7%

Direct Applicants: 11.9%
Candidate Database or Talent Pool: 5.9%
You don’t need a degree in data analytics to work this out. The more Refferals: 4.3%
requisitions you are working on, the less time you have to dedicate to each Social Media: 3%
one. That’s not to say you are doing a poor job, it means it’s very difficult to Career Fairs 0.8%
start forecasting and strategising for the future. You are constantly trying to Third Party Recruitment Agencies: 0.7%
fill roles that are already critical. Industry Professional Associations: 0.2%
Other Advertising Media: 0.2%

Leader insight Other: 0.9%

What type of recruitment model are you supporting inside your business? Agencies
Are you allowing your team to build a forecasting strategy or are they too
busy working through a backlog of requisitions to plan or the future? Is your
team playing catch up or are they ahead of the game?
Online Professional Networks: 54.1%
Job Boards: 21.7%
Direct Applicants: 3.9%
Candidate Database or Talent Pool: 12.5%
Refferals: 3.9%
Social Media: 3.6%
Career Fairs 0.2%

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Recruitment Funnel Performance Recruitment Funnel: In-house

Leader insight Outbound

The SocialTalent Global Recruitment Survey 2017 uncovered a lot of information when
analysing funnel performance. In particular it highlighted the difference between Inbound Applicants 98.5 Search Results: 132.43
response rates and contact methods of “super recruiters” compared to recruiters who Recruiter Screen 25.61 Contacted: 49
performed at a happy average.
Shortlist 5 Respondents: 19.11
Conversion rate= 5.08% Submit: 7.26
This year we examined the differences between the recruitment funnels as in-house vs
Shortlist: 5
third party agencies to highlight the conversion rates and see what we could determine.
Conversion rate= 3.77%

Funnel Performance: In-house

98.5 132.43
Inbound Applicants Search Results
37%
26% 49
Contacted
39%
25.61 19.11
Recruiter Screen Respondents
38%
7.26
Submit
Shortlist
5 5
Interview
5.08% 3.77%
Conversion Conversion

HIRE! 7
 Recruitment Funnel: Third Party

Leader insight Outbound

Inbound Applicants 67.7 Search Results: 156.3

Recruiter Screen 16.9 Contacted: 61
Shortlist 5 Respondents: 24.4
Conversion rate= 7.38% Submit: 9.9
Shortlist: 5
Conversion rate= 3.2%

Funnel Performance: Third Party

67.7 156.3
Inbound Applicants Search Results
39%
25% 61
Contacted
40%
16.9 24.4
Recruiter Screen Respondents
41%
9.9
Submit
Shortlist
5 5
Interview
7.38% 3.2%
Conversion Conversion
HIRE!
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Key Takeaways
Identifying and messaging skills
Outreach response rate averages have increased to 40%, up from 35%
in 2017. Better search and identifying skills coupled with better first
pitches are leading to higher response rates.
Professional networks take the lead
Professional networks are the top source of hire in general, beating
direct applicants, job boards and our own databases combined.
Refining your sourcing skills is paramount to finding top talent before
your competition does.
Passive candidates have the edge over applicants
Seems that a candidate applying for a job directly to a company means
they’re less likely to get to a Hiring Manager shortlist than if they were
approached by an in-house recruiter.
The relationship between
Recruiters and Hiring Managers
Our questions highlighted the effect that a balanced relationship between
recruiters and hiring managers can have on the success of the recruitment
process. Some recruiters responded that their hiring managers would
prefer to review dozens of resumes — the average shortlist for inbound
candidates is 17, the median is five.
Recruiters who act as Talent Advisors ie. adopt a consultative role with their
hiring managers, are aligned and clear on “What Does Good Look Like?”
for each requisition. Because the recruiter has acted as a project manager
for the recruitment process there is closer alignement between the two
parties and therefore, a higher success rate.
The optimum goal for a recruiter is that Hiring Managers’ accept the
shortlist that is presented to them i.e. will interview all those on the shortlist
and choose a hire from that pool.

Agency recruiters keep candidates engaged

As an agency candidate, applying to a job means you’re more likely to
hear from the recruiter, but less likely to get on the client shortlist.

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Reactive Recruiting
Mode vs Strategic Recruiting Mode
What are the key differences between a team who are operating in a strategic recruiting
mode and those who are constantly fighting fires and functioning in a reactive fashion.

Reactive Recruiting Mode: Strategic Recruiting Mode:

Only works on approved requisitions Works on job role profiles as well as specific requisitions

No awareness of hiring plan for the year/period or any Full transparency on the hiring plan
short-term headcount plans
Active database of nurtured candidates
Must go out to market everytime a req is opened

Poor at building Hiring Manager relationships Hiring managers are prepped with strong interview skills and
a clear process
Very little interview structure or design
Candidate experience is carefully managed and fine-tuned
according to feedback

From examining the differences between a reactive and a strategic recruiting model
it’s clear that the relationships with hiring managers and the control the recruiter has
over the recruiting process have a major impact.
Recruiters need to be able to create time to work on more strategic activities like
forecasting, market analysis and brand awareness.

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Recruiters need to become
skilled project managers
We wanted to have a closer look at how recruiters view their hiring
managers and how they feel they can influence them in a positive way.
Those who adopt a strategic recruiting model have more than one person
working on filling a role. That’s not to say the entire recruitment team has a
part to play but a ‘hiring team’ is made of all the key stakeholders. If the
recruiter adopts the role of project manager then it is in their best interest
to educate and prepare the hiring manager and interviewers. A strategic
recruiter can learn to influence the part of the recruitment process that they
do not have direct control over. This helps them keep all parties aligned
and on track for success.

Recruiters as stakeholders
There are different parts of the recruitment process that recruiters have
direct control over compared to what they can influence. We asked
respondents to quanitfy which part of the recruitment process they have
the most control over ie. when are they a direct stakeholder.

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 In-House

In-House Recruiters:
What part of the Recruiting Process are you a stakeholder of?

Outbound Candidate Sourcing 86% Requisition Approval 40.1%

Outbound Candidate Screening 82% Job Description Approval 47.1%
43%
Intake Meeting with Hiring Manager 76.2% Intake Meeting with Hiring Manager 76.2%
Applied Candidate Screening 75.8% Job Advertisement Drafting 62.3%
Job Advertisement Posting 71.4% Job Advertisement Posting 71.4%
Shortlist Presentation to HM 71% Agency Partner Briefing 45.1%
Shortlist Compilation 70.4% Outbound Candidate Sourcing 86% 71%
Unsuccessful Candidate Disposition/Decline 63.3% Outbound Candidate Screening 82%
Job Advertisement Drafting 62.3% Applied Candidate Screening 75.8%
Candidate Offer 62.1% Shortlist Compilation 70.4%
Candidate Preparation for Interview 62.1% Shortlist Presentation to HM 71%
Interview Coordination 60.7% Interview Coordination 60.7%
Offer Negotiation 59% Candidate Preparation for Interview 62.1%
Hiring Manager Preparation for Interview 52.2% Hiring Manager Preparation for Interview 52.2%
First Round Interview 51.7% First Round Interview 51.7%
Job Description Approval 47.1% Candidate Testing 39.3%
49%
Agency Partner Briefing 45.1% Second Round Interview 33.8%
Requisition Approval 40.1% Unsuccessful Candidate Disposition/Decline 63.3%
Candidate Testing 39.3% Hiring Decision 30.6%
New Employee Pre-boarding/Coordination 37.9% Candidate Offer 62.1%
Second Round Interview 33.8% Offer Negotiation 59%
Candidate Referee Validation 30.7% New Employee Pre-boarding/Coordination 37.9% 47%
Hiring Decision 30.6% Candidate Referee Validation 30.7%
New Employee On-Boarding (1st Day) 22% New Employee On-Boarding (1st Day) 22%

When you rearrange these numbers to mirror the flow of a recruiting process it’s clear
that the bulk of the hiring- and the part that recruiters have to most control over is in the
middle stage of the process. The parts of the process that recruiters need to be able to
influence because they have little to no direct control over it occur at the beginning and
end of the process eg requisition sign off and onboarding.

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 Agency

Agency teams are naturally more evenly spread. Agency recruiters have a lot more
capacity when it comes to interview coordination and offer negotiation.
This is hardly surprising as they have fewer options to be involved in for example
onboarding doesn’t fall into their remit at all.

Third Party Staffing Recruiters:

What part of the Recruiting Process are you a stakeholder of?

Outbound Candidate Sourcing 81.4% Requisition Approval 44.8%

Outbound Candidate Screening 78.6% Intake Meeting with Hiring Manager 62.9%
Applied Candidate Screening 73.2% Job Advertisement Drafting 66.8%
Job Advertisement Posting 71.8% Job Advertisement Posting 71.8%
Shortlist Compilation 67.7% Outbound Candidate Sourcing 81.4%
Job Advertisement Drafting 66.8% Outbound Candidate Screening 78.6%
Interview Coordination 64.2% Applied Candidate Screening 73.2%
65%
Candidate Preparation for Interview 64% First Round Interview 50%
Intake Meeting with Hiring Manager 62.9% Candidate Testing 35.8%
Shortlist Presentation to HM 62.5% Shortlist Compilation 67.7%
Unsuccessful Candidate Disposition/Decline 58.7% Shortlist Presentation to HM 62.5%
Offer Negotiation 57.4% Interview Coordination 64.2%
Candidate Offer 54.8% Hiring Manager Preparation for Interview 41.5%
First Round Interview 50% Candidate Preparation for Interview 64%
Successful Candidate 44.8% Second Round Interview 36.9%
53%
Pre-boarding/Coordination 43% Unsuccessful Candidate Disposition/Decline 58.7%
Requisition Approval 41.5% Candidate Offer 54.8%
Candidate Referee Validation 36.9% Offer Negotiation 57.4%
Hiring Manager Preparation for Interview 35.8% Candidate Referee Validation 43%
50%
Second Round Interview 37.9% Successful Candidate Pre-boarding/Coordination 48.2%
Candidate Testing 33.8%

When rearranged it’s clear to see the difference in the interview coordination and offer
negotiation phases. Agency recruiters make their fee from candidates being interviewed
and hired. This payment model ensures that recruiters are compensated for their work at
each stage and it also incentivises them to constantly move through the funnel. In-house
recruiters are paid regardless- perhaps with a bonus structure in place.
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Key Takeaways

In-House recruiters command the first stages

of the funnel
In-House recruiters are stakeholders to all early-stage activities, but almost
no late-stage activities in the recruiting process. Recruiters need to learn to
influence the stages they do not have control over in order to develop a
most strategic hiring funnel

Agency recruiters command the final stages

of the funnel
Agency recruiters are stakeholders to all mid-stage activities, and
coordinate with the candidate right the way through to the end stage -
otherwise they don’t achieve their goal.

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The Relationship Between
Recruiters and Hiring Managers Key Strategic Behaviours

The investigation into the differences between strategic and reactive hiring 4 Average
models has shown us that there is one key factor that can help distinguish Strategic Pipeline Builders
3.875
which recruiting process you fall into. A recruiter’s relationship with their High confidence in HM capability
hiring manager can influence the success of the recruitment process— 3.75 1 = Strongly Disagree
more than any other factor. 2 = Disagree
3.625 3 = Neutral
4 = Agree
We asked our survey respondents how they felt about their hiring 5 = Strongly Agree
3.5
manager’s attitude towards the role they played in the recruiting process.
We asked them three core questions to paint a picture after relationship
between recruiters and hiring managers. “Hiring Managers believe and act on the basis that
recruiting is a core part of their job”
As a recruiter…

1 “Hiring managers believe and act on the basis that recruiting

is a core part of their job”
2 “I feel that hiring managers at my organisation are
competent and capable interviewers and make good,
evidence based hiring decisions”
Recruiters who strongly agreed with this statement tended to show
strategic recruiting behaviours, for example they would work on building
candidate profiles, job families and workforce planning. This indicates that
they have a close relationship with hiring managers and work together to
help build pipeline for the future.

3 “I use Talent market insights like competitor, salary and

availability insights to influence hiring managers”

The aim of these questions help us draw a difference between the

behaviours of strategic and reactive recruiting processes and how they
could be influenced by recruiters and hiring managers.

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Key Strategic Behaviours Key Strategic Behaviours

4 Average 4 Average
Strategic Pipeline Builders Strategic Pipeline Builders
3.85 3.85
Measured on Shortlist Acceptance Measured on Shortlist Acceptance

3.7 1 = Strongly Disagree 3.7 1 = Strongly Disagree

2 = Disagree 2 = Disagree
3.55 3 = Neutral 3.55 3 = Neutral
4 = Agree 4 = Agree
3.4 5 = Strongly Agree 3.4 5 = Strongly Agree

“I feel that Hiring Managers at my organisation are competent and capable “I feel that Hiring Managers at my organisation are competent and capable
interviewers and make good, evidence-based hiring decisions” interviewers and make good, evidence-based hiring decisions”

The majority of respondents were apathetic when it came to this question.
However those who consider themselves to be strategic pipeline builders
answered ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ to this statement. Those who were
measured on shortlist acceptance rates as a KPI also tended to answer
with agree or strongly agree.
This statement gives an indication of the level of confidence a recruiter
feels about their hiring managers decisions. When recruiters work closely
with hiring managers they can educate them and act as talent advisors
throughout the recruiting process. Hiring managers can develop their
interviewing skills and become more confident in making the right hiring
decision thanks to recruiters.

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Key Takeaways

Recruiters must become Talent Advisors

Since starting the SocialTalent Global Survey in 2014, it has become clear
through behaviour and trends analysis that recruiters have spent a great
deal of time focusing on personal and career development. By enhancing
their sourcing skills and other technical recruiting skills they have made
vast improvements to the recruiting process which leads to increased
candidate and client satisfaction.
However it is now time to make another improvement, in order for
recruiters to develop professionally it is now time to act as Talent Advisors.
This means recruiters should use professional knowledge and experience
to educate and influence the future of hiring within companies. Working
closely with hiring managers is the first step to achieving this goal.

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 1.4
The link between recruiter
relationships and KPI success
While analysing our survey data it became clear that recruiters can control
0
the relationships they build with hiring managers and clients and directly
impact the success they’re measured on.

Those who have Shortlist Acceptance as one of their KPIs rate their Hiring -0.7
Manager capability and relationship higher than those who don’t. This is a
key area recruiters can work on for personal success.
Implemented new Implemented Implemented tech Seeking to invest

Investing in Technology tech in last 12

months
Talent Analytics to
support
to minimise bias in AI/Automation

HM decisions
Every year gives rise to a fresh wave of tech-obsession. AI and Automation
In-House
are constant buzzwords, but does it lead anywhere? We asked our
Agency
respondents to give us insights as to how their companies are approaching
the tech revolution. Are people really as tech-obsessed as they claim to be?
The results indicate that in-house recruitment teams are far more
We asked four main questions and respondents could agree on a scale comfortable with adopting new technology than agency teams. The future
with each statement. of recruitment and the tech that supports it is a constant conversation
and it is fascinating to see that recruitment agencies are at risk of being
Has your company…
left behind.
Implemented new technology in the last 12 months?

Implemented Talent Analytics to support Hiring Manager

decisions?

Implemented technology to minimise bias?

Sought to invest in AI/Automation?

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Conclusion
Competitive advantage in the recruitment industry no longer comes in the
form of advanced sourcing skills and the ability to write inspiring messages
to candidates. These are now essential skills of any decent recruiter.
To put yourself ahead of the competition recruiters need to focus on honing
their soft skills and pouring their efforts into strategic activities. By shifting
from a reactive frame of mind and creating time to invest in future planning
organisations will organically become a more attractive prospect for
anybody in the recruiting process, from candidates to hiring professionals.

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Now it’s your turn The Best Recruiters
Are you ready to start developing the capability and Never Stop Learning!
potential of your team? Do you want to influence how
your team performs so that they can benefit from the
latest and greatest recruitment knowledge on the planet?

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