Target start dates are one of the most important pieces of the hiring plan. They are used not only to balance load for the recruiting teams, but also to build out the budgets and forecasts that inform cost allocation for headcount.

Working off of a single source of truth for approved headcount in TeamOhana, recruiting teams are able to identify unrealistic start dates early on and work with hiring managers to update them, keeping the budgets and forecasts on track in the process. This intervention and collaboration ensures the company is able to hire the right people at the right time.

Keeping target start dates updated is a cross-functional effort. As a best practice, we recommend a regular interlock period that takes place in TeamOhana on the last week of each month and involves the below processes:

TeamOhana makes it easy to put this system into practice. The details of a headcount are contained on a page with an easy-to-navigate format which is primed for process reinforcement.

Between the monthly interlock periods, start dates should be kept updated as events happen in real-time. For example, if Recruiting needs to notify a hiring manager that a target start date needs to be updated because it's unrealistic, they can do so by leaving a comment directly on the "headcount details" page, then they can update the start date right from this same page.

The Hiring Progress graph on the Dashboard shows hiring trends over time, and can be used to validate recruiting capacity when target start dates are clustered. Take the example below: there were 21 headcount with targeted start dates in February 2023, but only 10 actual hires. A recruiting leader can use this data as justification to load balance and update target start dates to future months.

The "filter by Recruiter" option on the Recruiting Workboard also enables Recruiting Leads to tell, at a glance, which members of their team are working with tight timelines or too many open headcount.

Recruiter Danielle Donovan, in the example below, has 10 open headcount assigned to her, five of which have a target start date within 10 days of one another. This is a great example of where a recruiting leader would need to communicate openly with the hiring manager and make updates to target start dates.

The positive side effect of recruiting leaders balancing the loads of their team is that the budgets and forecasts update in real time. As a best practice, we recommend updating target start dates at least once every two weeks to ensure that hiring health, budgets and forecasts all remain up to date and accurate.

If you need to update target start dates in bulk, the Hiring health legend on your hiring tracker is the best way to identify where changes need to be made.

On Track indicates that the current hiring status and target start date for the headcount are such that the role will likely be filled in time.

Take Action means that hiring has not yet started, and the target start date is fewer than 45 days away.

At risk means the target start date is fewer than 15d days away and the role has not yet been filled.

Past due means the target start date has passed and the role has not yet been filled.

The health of your hiring should always be "On Track" and the Take Action, At Risk, and Past Due trackers should all be at 0. Clicking on each of the icons in the hiring health legend will filter your hiring tracker to bring attention to those off-track headcount, so their target start dates can be updated methodically.

In summary, using TeamOhana to load balance and set realistic start dates for open headcount also ensures that the budgets and forecasts remain up to date so that all parties involved in headcount planning are always on the same page.