How to Project a Forecast for your Driver Recruiting Funnel

Driver recruiting is a non-stop process that requires time and resources to find the right people. It makes the most sense, then, to try and do it efficiently as possible. Everyone has their own way of working through leads and candidates in a typical recruiting day, but however you do it, you need some kind of recruiting funnel to narrow down the list of names to the highest quality leads and best possible drivers. 

There are a few ways you can plan and adjust how that funnel comes about in order to give you the best chance to make quality, efficient hires happen no matter how many drivers you’re looking to bring on. Here are four big ones:

1. Set Hiring Goals Based on Leads

In some way, you should be counting each group of leads throughout the recruiting process to get an idea of your average hiring period. What percentage of your leads make it to the application and finish it? 

This information is critical because it does two big things: 

1. It helps you project numbers for the coming months 
2. It helps you identify where in the hiring process you start to see people drop off most frequently

This information can help you make adjustments in an attempt to make those bottlenecks less of a pain.

2. Know Your Hiring Season

Professional driver hiring tends to work in cycles. Look back at your hiring numbers for the last year or two to get an idea of when the lean times come in recruiting. This will allow you to save money by turning down ad spending during the quiet season and turning it back up shortly before things ramp up again. Adjusting for the season based on past history can allow you to have more ad money when you need it the most.

3. Track Your Leads by Source

Use tracking links to know exactly where your leads come from. Over time, this will quickly tell you which ads are working and not. Which sources are creating the most leads? The highest quality leads? You need this information to know how to spend your advertising budget most efficiently. Find the most reliable and consistent sources to help set and hit hiring goals. Tracking links can also help you navigate a new driver market, on social media for example. You’ll quickly find out if your ads on a platform need some love or just aren’t helping at all.

4. Know Who Your Leads Are

If you know where your leads come from, you can help tailor how you can communicate with them throughout the recruiting process. If a driver applied on your mobile site, texting might be the best way to contact them. You can also use this information to focus on driver personas in your ads; if you seek a veteran driver, you will probably want to use a different kind of message to get their attention as opposed to a new driver. Know your audience and see what works where.