Key takeaways
- Establish three shared indicators per channel that each team understands
- Log by team the before-after impact on lead time, quality and capacity
- Hold a monthly channel review with one owner per channel
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Document exceptions explicitly instead of letting them float
Many organisations invest heavily in various channels. Think job boards, social media, referrals, agencies and in-house talent pools. Each team measures what works in its own way. Consequence. You compare apples with oranges and steer by feeling instead of shared results. In this blog, read how to make channel steering simpler and fairer for all teams.
The real problem
In practice, each team measures what it knows.
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Marketing looks at reach and clicks
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HR by number of calls and hires
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Operations by lead time and break-in time
Everyone has numbers, but not the same ones. This makes it seem like one channel is working excellently and the other is not, when you are not measuring in the same way.
As a result, your budget increases on noise rather than on carried results. You steer on the one who shouts the loudest, not on what works for the whole chain.
Three indicators that everyone understands
You make channel steering easier by choosing three basic indicators that every team understands. For example:
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Lead time to the next meaningful step
How many days are there between first contact and next important step, such as intake or second interview. -
Quality ratios
For example, from shortlist to offer or 90-day retention. So not only how many people start but also how many are still on board after three months. -
Capacity impact
How many hours does a channel cost per intake or per start. Consider time of recruiter, hiring manager and administration.
Record per channel:
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how to measure these three indicators
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who owns the figures
This will give each channel a single measurement framework used by all teams.
The monthly channel review
Measuring alone won't get you there. You also need a set moment to make choices.
A simple form:
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30 minutes per channel
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marketing, HR and operations each show one slide with before-after
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per channel you choose from three decisions. scale, prune or stop
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you note the decision in a public changelog
This avoids long meetings and keeps the focus on what the channel delivers for the whole chain, not just one team.
Campaigns win only when marketing, HR and operations read the same scoreboard.
Making exceptions explicit
Not every channel works equally well everywhere. This is normal.
A few examples:
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a channel may be strong in HR for start-ups, but weak for senior profiles
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a channel may work well in sales, but generate hardly any response in IT
Instead of writing off the whole channel, name the exception:
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which roles does this channel work for
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in which region
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for which seniority
You put bets in a targeted way rather than in bulk. This prevents a channel from either getting too much credit or being disposed of too quickly.
What you notice immediately
After a few weeks, you usually see three things:
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less discussion about which numbers count
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more reallocation of budget and time to channels that deliver real results
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shorter turnaround time across teams, as everyone works with the same scoreboard
This way, channel steering does not become a loose discussion per team but a collaborative way of choosing that visibly works better for your organisation.
Book a meeting with Tarquin, founder of MediaGuru, to solve your challenges.
