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July 31, 2007
The Metrics Myth
“Our ATS tells us which media drives our applicant flow.”
True, in some respects. But it is also one of the greatest metrics myths in HR if you are seeking to understand the big picture.
The most common methods of tracking through an ATS are candidate self identification and source codes. You are likely familiar with the first, but the second, source codes, tracks the media source through coded application links used in the advertisement. The links direct the user from the ad or posting to the career site to apply. While data captured from candidate self-identification has proved to be unreliable, source codes are a good start for basic measurement.
However, even with source code tracking, you are missing a piece of the puzzle. Most ATS tracking does not capture what is known as post-impression data—data on candidates who do not take direct action from your advertisement, but come to your career site to apply later that day, week, etc. as a result of having seen the advertisement.
Post-impression data has shown to be significant enough to change the outcome of media performance once combined with basic data. Post-impression data takes metrics to a deeper level and allows for a better understanding of how to strategically spend your recruitment budget based on overall campaign performance.
Now that employers are targeting the passive candidate through non-recruitment websites using banners, sponsorships and email marketing, post-impression data becomes increasingly important as these tactics frequently are not acted upon at the time of exposure. The user will typically note the ad if it is of interest, and go back to the website of the advertising company to take action at a later time.
The bottom line is a combination of metrics from multiple sources must be considered when evaluating your recruitment campaigns. Look for more on metrics myths in the coming weeks.
Posted by courtneyhub at July 31, 2007 10:25 PM
Comments
Courtney:
Great post, have you found that more passive job seekers save jobs they are interested in to return to them later (such as on job sites or in job alert e-mails), or do they just visit the company career site main page and search to find the job that way? I think your point on post-impression data is important but it seems also important to analyze how those passive seekers return to the job listings when they are ready to apply. A true study in this area would be really excellent. All the best,
Jason
Posted by: Jason Whitman at August 24, 2007 12:55 PM
More often than not we hear that candidates recall the company name, return to the corporate site and find the path to the careers site, at which point we can attribute them to specific media. I would agree, however that it would be interesting to understand more about seeker behavior and how they recall opportunities they have been exposed to through media. Thanks for the comment!
Posted by: Courtney at August 24, 2007 02:09 PM