First off, apologies for missing the past couple of weeks. I prostrate myself before you for some jolly good flagellation!
Basically I've been busy with work, BUT, I'm back in the daily writing habit now.
My daily writing habit is actually great for my mental health, so basically you guys are like those wee dolls they have in a psychiatrists office in the movies. BUT, I hope you get as much value from our relationship as I do!
So, Change......
As recruiters, if we see a problem, we tend know what we need to do and get it done, especially as individual contributors.
But then we forget the change management, communicating WHY the change matters in a way that resonates with non recruiters.
Then your solution doesn't stick, everything is still a mess and you think "why bother?" as you hide under your dinner table drinking Gin......
So today, we're stealing borrowing three strategies straight from The Effective Change Manager’s Handbook to help you with your next project.
The ADKAR Model
Change follows a predictable psychological path you can use for better messaging:
- Awareness: Clearly communicate the issue. "We’re losing great candidates at offer stage." Desire: Create urgency. "This has cost us £120k in additional hiring costs this year." Knowledge: Explain your solution clearly. "We propose faster feedback cycles, here’s how it works." Ability: Provide resources or training to support adoption. "We'll hold a quick workshop so you can master this new process." Reinforcement: Reinforce the change by tracking success metrics. "Candidate acceptance has risen 25% since we implemented this."
ADKAR helps you make stakeholders understand what AND why.
Stakeholder Mapping & Communication
Not everyone needs the same message.
- Identify your stakeholders (HR, Finance, Hiring Managers, Leadership). Assess their influence and interest in the change. Tailor your message for each group, aligning to their specific interests: Finance: How does this impact the bottom line? Leadership: How does this align with strategic goals? Hiring Managers: How does this directly benefit their day-to-day?
If you take a targeted approach, then each group will see the value, driving buy-in faster. Also, this is your exact skillset as a recruiter, you just apply it to candidates.
Quick Wins & Visible Results
People are skeptical of big promises.
- So Identify immediate, visible improvements your change can make. Publicly celebrate these wee victories: "We reduced average time-to-feedback from 7 days to 2 days in the last month!" "Candidate drop-off rate dropped by 15% already."
Quick wins build momentum, trust, and credibility. then stakeholders start backing you instead of blocking you.
Luke's Golden Truth Nuggets
- Define the issue and impact clearly. Customise communication: One message doesn't fit all. Celebrate the wee victories
If you want to move forward in your career as a recruiter, particularly into leadership, you're going to have to make changes.
You're going to have to improve things.
And if you know what to do, but you're still struggling to see those things happen in your company, then take change management seriously.
It's not just this little nice to have. It's essential if you want to see the changes that you can see in your head.
Luke Update
I've gone and done that thing again where I've started too many projects all at once. I'm a nightmare for that. I'm like an adderal addicted squirrel with shiny object syndrome.
What this means is I have some cool things in the pipeline for late this year I would love you to be a part of.
I'll update people here once I'm close to launch...
Well... that's issue forty one! If you have any questions about it, or any feedback on this issue of The Data Driven Recruiter, grab me on LinkedIn for a chat.
I'll see you next week!