Top 8 Recruitment Metrics to Monitor in 2022

In their quest for qualified team members, organisations are increasingly adopting data-driven recruitment methods, relying on recruitment metrics to streamline the process. These metrics enable HR managers and recruitment teams to gauge the overall success and efficiency of the recruitment process, optimising the use of resources to secure the best talent available.

Leveraging these metrics and data analytics, HR professionals are better able to attract top talent and formulate effective employee retention strategies.

Recruitment metrics also empower talent acquisition teams to boost business value and develop strategic workforce plans.

In this article, we will explore the top eight recruitment metrics that are essential for informed hiring decisions.

Time to Fill

Human Resources (HR) managers rely on this metric to estimate the time required to fill open positions or replace employees who have left the organisation, making it a crucial tool for maintaining adequate workforce levels.

The time it takes to identify and onboard a new candidate is commonly known as the time to fill.

The time to fill generally spans from when a job requisition is approved to when the candidate accepts the job offer.

Several factors influence the rate of recruitment, including the availability of suitable candidates, industry demands, and the effectiveness of recruitment teams in sourcing and hiring top talent. Each of these elements plays a critical role in ensuring a successful hiring process.

Time to Hire

Although the terms ‘filling time’ and ‘hiring time’ are often used interchangeably, they represent distinct recruitment metrics, as noted in our recruitment blog post.

The time to hire metric gauges the speed at which a candidate is screened, assessed, interviewed, and ultimately hired for a job.

Time to hire reflects not only the efficiency of the hiring process but also the overall candidate experience.

Several factors, including the role type, industry, and hiring process of your company, influence this recruitment metric.

Quality of Hire

The quality of hire is among the most crucial recruitment metrics because it denotes a new candidate’s lasting impact on your company’s success.

The LinkedIn Global Recruiting Trends Report highlights the quality of hire as the most critical Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in the recruitment process, as discussed in our blog post on software developers. This KPI encompasses factors such as job performance, meeting deadlines, and cultural alignment.

Sub-Recruitment Metrics: Employee Engagement

This metric provides both qualitative and quantitative insights into an organization’s engagement with its employees.

Sub-Recruitment Metrics: Time to Productivity

The time to productivity metric assesses the duration it takes for a new employee to achieve full productivity levels. Candidates are evaluated based on how quickly they reach specific productivity targets.

Sub-Recruitment Metrics: Job Performance Indicators

These are performance reviews by the reporting manager for a particular employee.

Sub-Recruitment Metrics: Cultural Fit

As highlighted in our blog post, this metric is evaluated through 360-degree ratings provided by colleagues and managers for new employees.

According to the US Department of Labor, an error in the hiring process may have repercussions, costing up to 30% of an employee’s potential first-year earnings. Therefore, it is crucial for companies to evaluate the quality of new hires and take necessary measures to secure the growth and success of their organization.

Source of Employment

This recruitment metric indicates the sources of new hires.

By identifying the sources of top-quality candidates, this metric enables businesses to determine which channels and sources are the most effective, leading to a considerable return on investment.

To determine the most effective recruitment channel, it is crucial to analyse a range of sources, including social media ads, referrals, recruitment agencies, job boards, paid ad platforms, and the company’s careers page. Carefully evaluating each of these potential recruitment channels is necessary to achieve optimal results.

Applicant-to-Hire Ratio

Measuring the ratio of applicants to hires for a specific position, this metric is a valuable tool for recruitment. It provides insight into the effectiveness of the recruitment process and highlights areas for potential improvement.

This text outlines the benefit of utilising the hiring process to assess how much effort should be devoted to the vetting process, as discussed in our blog post on recruiting diverse talent. By leveraging the hiring process, recruiters can determine if additional criteria should be incorporated to identify the most suitable candidates, as discussed in our post on recruiting top talent.

When the applicant-to-hire ratio is consistently high, such as 100 applicants for a single position (100:1), recruiters can use pre-employment tests and data-driven recruitment strategies to improve efficiency and expedite the hiring process while selecting the most competent candidates. Harnessing these tools can significantly decrease the time and resources needed to hire the best talent.

Hiring Cost

This crucial hiring metric assesses the efficiency of the recruitment process and facilitates the evaluation of return on investment (ROI).

The average cost per hire is the expenditure incurred to recruit an employee. This metric is beneficial for monitoring recruitment expenses.

CPH = (Total internal and external recruiting costs) / Total number of new hires

The CPH metric includes various expenses such as recruitment costs, induction costs, travel expenses, hardware and software, administrative expenses, referral incentives, job board fees, payments for paid advertising, and agency fees.

Attrition Rate

Also referred to as the churn rate, the attrition rate measures the rate at which employees depart from your organisation within a specific time frame.

Attrition rate = Number of employees who departed the company / Average number of employees over a specific period

Hiring and retaining high-performing employees is a primary objective for numerous organisations because high turnover rates can be quite expensive in terms of the funds and resources required to recruit and onboard new employees. The financial and logistical consequences of having to frequently replace personnel can be noteworthy. Hence, it is crucial for organisations to ensure they are exerting all possible efforts to allure, retain, and nurture their top talent.

To attain clarity into the contentment levels of their employees, companies should carry out evaluations to assess this metric. This will help them develop successful strategies for retaining their employees.

Candidate Job Satisfaction

This metric measures the candidate’s experience during the recruitment process, along with their delight with their present role in the company. By evaluating this metric, we can acquire comprehension into the success of the recruitment process, and determine whether the candidate is happy in their current role. This metric is an invaluable tool for evaluating the efficacy of our hiring endeavours.

The Candidate NPS is a significant indicator of job satisfaction among candidates (Net Promoter Score).

Based on their prior experiences, this indicator assists HR professionals in estimating the likelihood of newly hired individuals recommending their company to a friend or associate.

Assessing a job applicant’s background is imperative to ensure that the company is hiring the most competent personnel. This involves determining if the role aligns with the job seeker’s expectations and if the recruitment team is representing the position efficiently. By doing so, the company is securing the best available talent.

So, why should you be attentive to hiring metrics?

Unquestionably, attracting top talent is imperative for the success of an organisation.

Human Resources professionals must utilise data and analytics to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of their recruitment strategies to recruit the most fitting candidates in the quickest possible time.

Adopting data-driven recruitment can assist recruiters in cutting hiring costs while boosting efficiency.

Consistently monitoring recruitment metrics and utilising the obtained data can provide your company with a strategic advantage, allowing you to make well-informed hiring decisions aligned with your business goals, thereby promoting the growth of both your human resources and the company as a whole.