Redwood Technology Solutions | December 5, 2024
Review the Results, Not Just the Spend
December is a useful time to ask whether your recruiting channels are supporting the roles you actually need to fill. Before renewing contracts or carrying budgets into 2025, review which sources produced qualified candidates, which created extra work, and which deserve a more focused test.
For employers managing multiple locations or recurring hiring needs, this review should connect advertising performance with recruiter capacity. An inexpensive posting is not necessarily a bargain if it generates hours of screening without advancing suitable applicants.
Start With Hiring Demand
List anticipated openings by location, role, and urgency before evaluating renewals. Separate recurring hiring from occasional specialist searches. This prevents last year’s spending pattern from becoming next year’s plan by default. Ask hiring managers which requirements are essential and whether schedules, pay, or application barriers may be limiting response.
Build a Consistent Channel Scorecard
Compare channels over similar periods and group results by job family, location, and hiring difficulty. A source that works for local hourly hiring may not deliver the same value for specialized technical positions.
Use applicant tracking records, posting reports, invoices, and recruiter feedback to build a practical picture. Where source tracking is incomplete, note the limitation rather than treating uncertain attribution as fact.
Include these measures in your review:
- Qualified applicants and candidates reaching interviews
- Hires attributed to each source, where reliably tracked
- Advertising cost and recruiter time required
- Speed of applicant response and movement through hiring stages
- Geographic coverage and fit for priority roles
- Posting accuracy, documentation, and process consistency
Make Comparisons Fair
Define “qualified” consistently for each role before comparing sources. For example, warehouse applicants might need to meet specific shift and location requirements, while a technical search may prioritize relevant experience. Record whether a channel had enough time to produce results; a recent posting should not be judged against a full quarter of activity.
Keep: Channels That Deliver Relevant Candidates
Retain channels that consistently support hiring goals at a reasonable total cost. Look beyond application volume to candidate suitability, hiring progress, and the work required to manage each source.
Craigslist job posting may remain useful for certain local roles when location selection, job details, and response handling are well managed. Resume search can also warrant continued investment when recruiters can identify relevant candidates and follow up promptly.
Keeping a channel does not mean leaving it unchanged. Refresh job descriptions, confirm compensation details where provided, and remove unnecessary application steps before increasing spend.
For resume sourcing, track outreach and responses separately from inbound applications. A useful database can appear ineffective when searches are too broad or messages lack role-specific details. Review search criteria and outreach quality before deciding whether to renew access.
Cut: Waste Before Cutting Reach
Start with duplicate placements, outdated postings, poorly matched audiences, and subscriptions that receive little use. Check whether weak performance reflects the channel itself or a fixable issue, such as unclear requirements or slow candidate follow-up.
Manual job posting deserves particular attention. It can provide access to valuable niche or local sites, but the administrative effort should be visible in your evaluation. Standardized instructions and completion checks can help reduce errors and unnecessary rework.
Avoid cutting a source solely because it produces fewer applications. A smaller pool of relevant candidates may be more useful than a large pool with little connection to the role.
Before canceling or reducing a placement, check:
- Does another source reach the same audience effectively?
- Are renewal dates and cancellation terms documented?
- Will the change leave a priority location underserved?
- Who will remove expired listings and update tracking records?
Test: Set a Question Before Setting a Budget
Choose a limited number of experiments for early 2025. Each test should have a defined audience, budget, timeframe, and success measure.
Recruitment media buying can help organize these choices around hiring priorities rather than scattered purchases. Test one meaningful variable at a time where practical, such as a different site or geographic market, so results are easier to interpret.
For example, test a local job site for one hard-to-fill shift while keeping the job description and application process consistent. Set a spending cap and track qualified applicants, interview progression, and screening effort. Decide in advance what would justify extending the test, revising it, or stopping it.
Keep Compliance Separate From Advertising ROI
For employers subject to applicable federal contractor requirements, some job-listing and recordkeeping activities serve compliance purposes beyond candidate generation. Do not discontinue them simply because they show limited direct hiring results.
Review OFCCP-related job-posting processes with appropriate compliance guidance. Confirm responsibilities, required destinations, posting records, and retention practices for your organization’s circumstances. Outsourcing posting tasks does not eliminate the need for employer oversight.
Turn the Review Into an Action Plan
Assign each channel a keep, cut, or test decision, an owner, and a review date. Recruitment process outsourcing can help coordinate execution when internal teams lack capacity to manage posting, sourcing, and reporting consistently.
Keep a brief decision log explaining the evidence behind each choice. Schedule an early-year checkpoint to compare results with expectations and address tracking gaps before the next renewal cycle.
Contact Redwood Technology Solutions to discuss recruiting channel support, from job posting and resume search to recruitment media buying and compliance-related posting coordination.
