The most divided month of the year is December. The contrasts of the human experience appear in their most fantastic form as we approach the festive season.

On one side, December represents a month of overloading chaotically completing work before the year’s end while ensuring you participate in and manage all of the festive-related activities. December is a month of indulging, from a social and work perspective. 

On the other side, December is a great time of reflection, a period to consider our achievements, challenges and failings over the year. We reminisce about the good times and the future. Since December is a natural time of reflection, it is also the ideal time to consider your talent acquisition efforts, your team and your successes. It is a good time to explore your wins, challenges and failings experienced over the year. Furthermore, it is a time to embrace the standards of talent acquisition and explore future possibilities. 

What to consider when reflecting on your talent acquisition work:

1. Explore your team like you would an individual. Talent acquisition is a people business. So before you get out your clipboard with standard measures of success, look at your team’s successes holistically including from an individual team member standpoint.
2. Reflect on the value your team felt they brought. Marcus Buckingham, the lead researcher at the ADP Research Institute, says there are two questions you need to ask your team to assess engagement: On a scale of 1-5, did you work within your strengths this week; On a scale of 1-5, how much value did you provide last week. The answers to these questions are powerful.
3. Get a little Zen with it. Assessing metrics is important (see last bullet point), but this is the time to also reflect on what your team’s passion and purpose is. People naturally excel in areas they are passionate about. Passion puts people in their “flow”. Purpose ties work to a greater good, a meaningful outcome. This too compels humans to work in their “flow”. Flow = accelerated results and more engagement from your team.
4. Reflect on how well your team connects with others. And I mean all others (candidates, hiring managers, other recruiters). Here are two Deloitte surveys that may inspire you to focus on connection: The Global Human Capital Trends Survey 2016 and The 2016 Millennial Survey (Winning Over The Next Generation Of Leaders).
5. Use a Net Promoter Score (NPS) to measure how loyal your stakeholders are to your talent acquisition team. NPS measures loyalty. Not satisfaction. Not execution. LOYALTY. A lack of commitment is a sign of neglect. If someone is loyal to you (or your team) they will go to the ends of the earth for you. If a hiring manager is loyal to you, you’ve hit nirvana.
6. Reflect On A 21st Century Team. This starts with technology. HR Technology includes Human Capital Management Systems, Talent Acquisition Platforms, Performance Suites, Analytics Software, and Video Interviewing Platforms. I’ve written on this many, many times. This help saves time and connects people. If you haven’t invested in technology, I just don’t even know what to say. It’s bad. It turns candidates off and makes modern workers cringe. And some tech is cheap. Money isn’t an excuse anymore.
7. Reflect on your social presence. You never have a second time to make a first impression. Many first impressions come from your social footprint, including what people say about your company online. What do candidates say about you? Do current employees recommend you publicly? Do you have a social presence? The #1 reason someone believes your company is worth a look is that someone has recommended it.
8. Reflect on Insanity. Where on the insanity scale did your team fall? I think some insanity is perfect. It pushes your limits, stretches your abilities, and gets results. However, there is a tipping point. Let’s not breed the gang from One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, please.
9. Reflect on Indulgences. How much fun did your team have over the year? Did you schedule a time to have fun, celebrate wins, to get to know one another better?
10. Reflect on all your standard metrics. Are they the right ones, do they measure items that push your company forward? You know the drill.

So, as December proves, there are two sides to everything. Hopefully, this list will help you achieve a holistic view of your team’s abilities, needs, and successes. Then after you reflect a while on this – go to your kitchen, and treat yourself to a mulled wine and mince pie.