Recruiting Excellence Blog

Recruiting Excellence Foundation
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This podcast discusses the Blogs written and posted on the Recruiting Excellence Foundation website. It is an alternative way to consume the articles instead of reading. Ideal if you are on the go. The Recruiting Excellence Foundation exists to put the tools, language, and operating system needed to build high-performing TA teams in the hands of recruiters worldwide, so teams can consistently hire the right person exactly on time when the business needs it, in a cost-effective manner.

  1. Sep 21

    The Most Common Recruiting Metrics and KPIs

    In this episode, we look at how Recruiting Metrics and KPIs can help organizations better understand and improve their recruiting performance and why it is important to distinguish between individual data points and truly strategic indicators. In this episode, we unpack: Metrics, Measures, and KPIs: How these terms differ and why understanding the distinction matters when evaluating recruiting performance.The Role of Recruiting Analytics: How data from ATS platforms, web analytics, surveys, job boards, and social media can be used to generate meaningful recruiting insights.Time-Based Recruiting Metrics: How metrics such as Time-to-Fill, Time-to-Interview, Time-to-Offer, and Time-to-Hire help identify bottlenecks and improve process efficiency.Cost-Based Recruiting KPIs: How Cost-per-Application, Cost-per-Interview, Cost-per-Hire, and Cost-of-Vacancy can help organizations better understand and manage recruiting spend.Measuring Recruiting Quality: Why metrics such as Application Rate, Offer Acceptance Rate, Retention Rate, and Rehiring Rate are essential for evaluating recruiting outcomes beyond speed and cost. Recruiting data only becomes valuable when it helps answer the right questions. Tracking more numbers is not the goal. The key is to identify the metrics and KPIs that are connected to recruiting objectives and support better decisions. Organizations that combine time, cost, and quality metrics can develop a much more complete picture of recruiting performance and use that data to continuously improve their processes. See you on the next one!

  2. Sep 14

    Candidate Experience: Why It Is Critical to Recruiting Success

    In this episode, we look at why Candidate Experience has become a critical factor in recruiting success and how companies can use it to stand out in an increasingly competitive labor market. In this episode, we unpack: Why Candidate Experience Matters: How demographic change, talent scarcity, and changing candidate expectations are reshaping recruiting. More Than Benefits and Salary: Why the application and hiring process itself increasingly influences whether candidates accept, reject, or even continue with an opportunity. Individual Experiences Matter: Why standardized one-size-fits-all processes are becoming less effective as candidates expect more personal and relevant interactions. Small Changes, Big Impact: How faster communication, clearer processes, and more personal interactions can significantly improve the candidate journey. Candidate Experience as a Competitive Advantage: Why positive experiences build trust, strengthen employer reputation, and can ultimately improve recruiting outcomes. Candidate Experience is no longer an optional extra in recruiting. It has become a strategic necessity in a labor market where candidates have more choice and poor experiences are increasingly visible. Companies that continuously improve their candidate journey will be better positioned to attract and convince the talent they need. See you on the next one!

  3. Sep 11

    Leaders Aren't Exempt From the AI Learning Curve. They're First in Line.

    What if the biggest barrier to AI adoption is not the technology itself, but the fact that people still do not know which parts of their work are actually worth changing? In this episode, we dive into this piece from Johnny Campbell and explore a simple but important idea: AI capability does not become embedded because people attend a course. It becomes embedded when someone applies AI to a real task, in a real workflow, with real data, and then turns that successful use case into a repeatable way of working. That creates a direct challenge for leaders. Seniority does not remove you from the AI learning curve. In many cases, leaders should be first in line. If you are still doing repetitive analysis manually, building the same report every month, or asking your team to experiment with AI without having gone through that learning process yourself, you are not really leading adoption. In this episode, we unpack five core ideas behind practical AI adoption: Find the task, not the tool: Start with work that is repetitive, painful, frequent, and still largely manual instead of starting with a platform or feature.Build it live, in the real workflow: The biggest learning moments happen when people use AI on their actual work, hit a problem, correct it, and immediately see what better looks like.Turn individual wins into team capability: A useful AI workflow has little organisational value if it remains someone’s private workaround. Once it works, package it so others can reuse it.Let AI become infrastructure: The goal is not to keep talking about an AI pilot. The goal is to reach the point where the improved workflow simply becomes how the work gets done.Leaders need the learning moment too: Leaders who experience the transformation themselves are far better positioned to recognise opportunities, coach others, and scale adoption across the team. The broader lesson is that AI transformation is less about teaching people clever prompts and more about redesigning work. The real value appears when leaders identify the right tasks, stay close enough to the work to understand what is happening, and help successful experiments move from one person into the wider operating model. If you are leading a team, there is one useful question to ask yourself this week: what work are you still doing manually that you would challenge your team to rethink with AI? Subscribe for more conversations on Talent Acquisition, AI, leadership, and building stronger recruiting functions.

  4. Sep 7

    AI in HR: The Key to Future-Ready HR?

    In this episode, we look at how AI is already changing HR and what organizations need to consider if they want to use it effectively and responsibly. In this episode, we unpack: Where AI Already Adds Value: How AI supports recruiting, HR administration, learning, knowledge management, and other repetitive or time-consuming tasks. AI Accelerates Processes, Not Quality: Why introducing AI into unclear or poorly designed processes can simply make existing problems faster and more scalable. The Human Accountability Question: Why the closer AI gets to evaluating people or preparing decisions, the more important clear human responsibility becomes. Three Questions Before Using AI: What HR teams should clarify about responsibilities, data, risks, transparency, and the actual problem they want AI to solve. Keeping HR Human: Why empathy, contextual understanding, judgment, and accountability remain essential even as more HR processes become AI-supported. Future-ready HR is not about automating as much as possible. It is about finding the right balance between efficiency, technology, and human responsibility. AI can make HR more effective. But people still need to remain at the center of the decisions that matter. See you on the next one!

  5. Sep 4

    TA Leadership Series ep 6/6: You Cannot Train Someone Into Becoming a Talent Advisor

    TA Leadership Series: From Operational Recruiter to Strategic Talent Advisor Episode 6: Would You Show This to the CEO Right Now? Episode Description: Are you tired of receiving reports, spreadsheets, or pipeline updates that are technically correct but leave you wondering, "What is the point of this?" In this sixth and final episode of our 6-piece TA Leadership Series: From Operational Recruiter to Strategic Talent Advisor, host Tony de Graaf tackles a critical operational habit: executing tasks on autopilot without understanding the business outcome behind the request. We explore why asking one simple, powerful question “Would you be comfortable if I forwarded this exactly as it is to the CEO right now, with your name on it?” completely changes how your team evaluates their own work. True strategic talent advisory is not about high-level roadmaps or complex executive meetings; it is visible in the quality and intentionality of everyday work. To build a high-performing TA function, leaders must teach recruiters to start with the end in mind, turning simple data points into strategic business tools. If you want your team to think and act like strategic advisors, you must challenge them to finish the thinking themselves and stand confidently behind their work. In this episode, we unpack 5 core principles of outcome thinking in everyday work: The Power of the CEO Test: Why introducing this simple question immediately shifts the standard from mere task completion to deep ownership of the final outcome.Beginning with the End in Mind: Moving recruiters away from immediate process execution and teaching them to reverse-engineer their strategies from the desired hiring decision.The Strategic Spreadsheet: Understanding how everyday reports, like pipeline numbers and agency spend, become strategic through interpretation, context, and a clear connection to business decisions.Putting Your Name on It: Why giving recruiters ownership of their recommendations and communication builds true professional visibility and prevents leaders from completing the thinking for them.Intentionality Over Perfection: Why the CEO test is a tool for purpose and clarity rather than an impossible demand for flawless design, avoiding the trap of a slow and overly cautious culture. Ultimately, your job as a TA leader is to create an environment where your team learns to connect their daily activities to the larger organizational outcomes—building a robust function where talent advisory is visible in the questions they ask, the decisions they make, and the work they are proud to own. About the Series: This is Episode 6 of a 6-part journey designed for Talent Acquisition leaders who want to scale strategic advisor capabilities across their entire function. Here is our full series roadmap: Episode 1: "You Cannot Train Someone Into Becoming a Talent Advisor" (Environment over education)Episode 2: "Make Them Kings and Queens of Their Domain" (Authority and true ownership)Episode 3: "Stop Having the Strategic Conversations for Them" (Exposure above the requisition level)Episode 4: "Stop Owning Every Change Project Yourself" (Project ownership as a development tool)Episode 5: "Never Accept Only a Problem" (Teaching analysis and solution-proposing)Episode 6: "Would You Show This to the CEO Right Now?" (Outcome thinking in everyday work) [This Episode] Subscribe now to build an environment where strategic talent advisory isn’t just taught, it is expected and supported. See you on the next one!

  6. Sep 4

    TA Leadership Series ep 5/6: Never Accept Only a Problem

    TA Leadership Series: From Operational Recruiter to Strategic Talent Advisor Episode 5: Never Accept Only a Problem Episode Description: Are you tired of your recruiters escalating every minor hurdle to your desk, leaving you to solve operational bottlenecks like slow stakeholder feedback or thin candidate pipelines while they wait for your instructions? In this fifth episode of our 6-piece TA Leadership Series: From Operational Recruiter to Strategic Talent Advisor, host Tony de Graaf tackles a common operational habit: the transfer of ownership that occurs during escalation. We explore why allowing recruiters to outsource their thinking upward limits their strategic growth, and how demanding recommendations instead of simple problem statements transforms their relationship with operational issues. True strategic talent advisory cannot exist in a culture of constant problem-dumping. To build a high-performing TA function, leaders must resist the satisfaction of immediately solving every issue brought to their desk, instead coaching their team to analyze root causes and propose solutions. If you want your recruiters to think and act like trusted advisors, you must teach them to move beyond describing symptoms and help the business understand the cause of its challenges. In this episode, we unpack 5 core principles of teaching analysis and solution-proposing: Stopping the Upward Outsourcing of Thinking: Understanding why escalating issues is sensible, but transferring the ownership of those problems to the leader restricts a recruiter's professional development. The Diagnostic Question ("What Have You Already Done?"): Why asking what recruiters have tried, what they understand, and what they recommend changes their relationship with the problem. Moving Beyond the Symptoms: Moving past simple operational declarations like "we don't have enough candidates" to diagnose root causes like talent scarcity, restrictive requirements, compensation, or process design. Ownership Without Having All the Answers: Why a strong escalation doesn't require a perfect solution, but rather presenting ruled-out options, analyzed paths, or the specific decision needed. Resisting the Instinct to Solve: How TA leaders can stop rewarding operational escalations by refusing to immediately provide answers, instead coaching their team to build confidence and decision-making authority. Ultimately, your job as a TA leader is to build a team that does not simply escalate information upward, but processes it, forms a point of view, and actively contributes to strategic business decisions. About the Series: This is Episode 5 of a 6-part journey designed for Talent Acquisition leaders who want to scale strategic advisor capabilities across their entire function. Here is our full series roadmap: Episode 1: "You Cannot Train Someone Into Becoming a Talent Advisor" (Environment over education)Episode 2: "Make Them Kings and Queens of Their Domain" (Authority and true ownership)Episode 3: "Stop Having the Strategic Conversations for Them" (Exposure above the requisition level)Episode 4: "Stop Owning Every Change Project Yourself" (Project ownership as a development tool)Episode 5: "Never Accept Only a Problem" (Teaching analysis and solution-proposing) [This Episode]Episode 6: "Would You Show This to the CEO Right Now?" (Outcome thinking in everyday work) Subscribe now to build an environment where strategic talent advisory isn’t just taught—it is expected and supported. See you on the next one!

  7. Sep 4

    TA Leadership Series ep 4/6: You Cannot Train Someone Into Becoming a Talent Advisor

    TA Leadership Series: From Operational Recruiter to Strategic Talent Advisor Episode 4: Stop Owning Every Change Project Yourself Episode Description: Are you tired of owning the rollout of every new sourcing strategy, ATS optimisation, or referral program redesign yourself, only to wonder why your recruiters continue to act as task-driven operational executors? In this fourth episode of our 6-piece TA Leadership Series: From Operational Recruiter to Strategic Talent Advisor, host Tony de Graaf tackles a critical leadership trap: keeping your team in execution mode by owning every strategic initiative and improvement project that sits outside daily recruitment. We explore why assigning minor project tasks to recruiters rather than delegating full outcome ownership stunts their strategic growth and prevents them from building business-level capabilities. True strategic talent advisory is developed through real-world problem-solving. To build a mature, self-improving TA function, leaders must delegate end-to-end project outcomes to their team, allowing them to navigate ambiguity, manage stakeholder complexity, and make necessary business trade-offs. If you want your recruiters to think beyond daily operations, you must stop keeping the strategic change work for yourself and empower your team to lead it. In this episode, we unpack 5 core principles of project ownership as a development tool: Outcomes Over Tasks: Shifting from assigning minor sub-tasks—like benchmarking tools or updating documentation—to empowering recruiters with end-to-end ownership of the business problem and its final solution.Coaching Over Intervention: Resisting the temptation to step back into execution mode when a project becomes difficult, and instead coaching team members through scoping, stakeholder mapping, and roadmaps.True Visibility and Credibility: Placing the recruiter at the front of the change initiative—letting them run working sessions and present recommendations directly to senior stakeholders.Projects as Strategic Teachers: Utilizing continuous improvement initiatives to force recruiters to connect daily recruitment activities directly to high-level business outcomes.Coherence and the North Star: How the TA leader's role shifts from operational project management to maintaining strategic alignment, roadmapping, and function-wide prioritization. Ultimately, your job as a TA leader is to stop keeping all of the strategic work for yourself—building a stronger, highly capable team where continuous improvement is a shared responsibility rather than a solo leadership burden. About the Series: This is Episode 4 of a 6-part journey designed for Talent Acquisition leaders who want to scale strategic advisor capabilities across their entire function. Here is our full series roadmap: Episode 1: "You Cannot Train Someone Into Becoming a Talent Advisor" (Environment over education)Episode 2: "Make Them Kings and Queens of Their Domain" (Authority and true ownership)Episode 3: "Stop Having the Strategic Conversations for Them" (Exposure above the requisition level)Episode 4: "Stop Owning Every Change Project Yourself" (Project ownership as a development tool) [This Episode]Episode 5: "Never Accept Only a Problem" (Teaching analysis and solution-proposing)Episode 6: "Would You Show This to the CEO Right Now?" (Outcome thinking in everyday work) Subscribe now to build an environment where strategic talent advisory isn’t just taught, it is expected and supported. See you on the next one!

  8. Sep 4

    TA Leadership Series ep 3/6: Stop Having the Strategic Conversations for your Recruiters

    TA Leadership Series: From Operational Recruiter to Strategic Talent Advisor Episode 3: Stop Having the Strategic Conversations for your Recruiters Episode Description: Are you a TA leader who gets invited to all the high-level business planning meetings, while your recruiters remain stuck in a cycle of endless vacancy intake forms and transactional updates? In this third episode of our 6-part TA Leadership Series: From Operational Recruiter to Strategic Talent Advisor, host Tony de Graaf tackles a critical leadership trap: having the strategic conversations for your team rather than helping them lead those discussions. We explore why keeping senior relationships exclusive to yourself might protect your own status, but ultimately ensures your recruiters' view of the business remains strictly "requisition-shaped". True talent advisory cannot occur when recruiters are kept at the requisition level. To build a highly effective TA function, leaders must transition from being the sole strategic voice to actively preparing, coaching, and stepping back so their team can build true strategic confidence. In this episode, we unpack 5 core principles of expanding your team's exposure and strategic impact: Accountability Requires Exposure: Why keeping recruiters' business exposure confined to individual job vacancies prevents them from thinking or acting like true strategic partners.Thinking Beyond the Vacancy: Shifting the recruiter's unit of thinking from "what role is open?" to "what is the business trying to achieve?" to connect talent decisions directly to business direction.Leading, Not Just Observing: Understanding why simply letting recruiters "sit in" on senior stakeholder meetings isn't enough, and why true development requires carrying the responsibility of leading the conversation.The Stakeholder Exposure Cycle: A practical, four-stage framework—Prepare, Lead, Reflect, and Repeat—to safely transition relationship ownership and build real advisory capability.Building a Function, Not Just a Persona: Why TA leaders must stop protecting their exclusive senior-level access and instead transfer their personal credibility to their recruiters. Ultimately, your job as a TA leader is to stop confusing your personal strategic capability with building a strategic TA function—focusing on developing a self-sufficient team that can partner with business leaders at the highest level. About the Series: This is Episode 3 of a 6-part journey designed for Talent Acquisition leaders who want to scale strategic advisor capabilities across their entire function. Here is our full series roadmap: Episode 1: "You Cannot Train Someone Into Becoming a Talent Advisor" (Environment over education)Episode 2: "Make Them Kings and Queens of Their Domain" (Authority and true ownership)Episode 3: "Stop Having the Strategic Conversations for Them" (Exposure above the requisition level) [This Episode]Episode 4: "Stop Owning Every Change Project Yourself" (Project ownership as a development tool)Episode 5: "Never Accept Only a Problem" (Teaching analysis and solution-proposing)Episode 6: "Would You Show This to the CEO Right Now?" (Outcome thinking in everyday work) Subscribe now to build an environment where strategic talent advisory isn’t just taught, it is expected and supported. See you on the next one!

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About

This podcast discusses the Blogs written and posted on the Recruiting Excellence Foundation website. It is an alternative way to consume the articles instead of reading. Ideal if you are on the go. The Recruiting Excellence Foundation exists to put the tools, language, and operating system needed to build high-performing TA teams in the hands of recruiters worldwide, so teams can consistently hire the right person exactly on time when the business needs it, in a cost-effective manner.

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  • Creator
    Recruiting Excellence Foundation
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Recruiting Excellence Foundation
  • Show Website
    Recruiting Excellence Blog