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Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Talent Acquisition: Measuring Success

  • Writer: Andrew Stahl
    Andrew Stahl
  • Jul 24
  • 3 min read
Woman in suit presents a "Development Strategy" on a whiteboard. Another woman in red listens. Graph on screen shows productivity data.

Every organization should implement an efficient talent acquisition process. This ensures they don’t overspend on their hiring processes. It also means they find the right talent quickly so they can return to full productivity.


Companies can ensure their talent acquisition processes are efficient by establishing key performance indicators (KPIs). Each KPI should be guided by a metric that defines the success rate. This article will discuss the KPIs your organization should use to ensure the efficiency of your talent acquisition processes.


Time to Hire

Time to hire measures the amount of time between a position opening and the employee accepting your offer. It is an important metric because it determines how long the recruitment process takes.


A slow time to hire means a company may be losing money due to reduced productivity and increased hiring expenses. It also increases the risk that candidates will find other opportunities before they are hired. Reduced efficiency in hiring can also damage a company's reputation.


Organizations can speed hiring rates by knowing which markets to tap into and using technology to scan resumes, conduct one-way interviews, and send automated updates to candidates.


Cost Per Hire

Cost per hire is the amount of money companies spend to fill their positions. Common costs include:

  • Job board advertising fees

  • Referral fees

  • Wages paid to the HR hiring department

  • Training and onboarding expenses

  • Losses in productivity

Companies can reduce costs by implementing technology to take over menial, labor-intensive tasks. Technology also speeds up the hiring process to reduce losses.


Quality of Hire

The quality of your new hires can be difficult to quantify. Common metrics include:

  • Performance appraisal

  • Retention rate

  • Feedback

  • Error rate

  • Customer service score

  • Rate of bonuses and salary increases

  • Promotion rate

Organizations that hire quality talent will see increased productivity. They will also boost retention rates reducing the hassle and expense of hiring new talent.


Increase your chances of hiring the right talent by seeking out candidates on appropriate channels and asking the right interview questions. Consider hard and soft skills and culture match during the hiring process.


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Candidate Experience

The candidate experience tells organizations whether candidates were happy with the application process. A positive candidate experience can support the company’s reputation. A poor candidate experience will have the opposite effect.


Candidate experience is another KPI that’s difficult to quantify, but it can be determined through direct feedback, online reviews, and social media. Companies can ensure a positive candidate experience by offering a simplified application process, communicating with candidates so they know their status, and hiring quickly.


Sourcing Channel Efficiency

Organizations may use several channels to attract candidates including job boards, social media, and network connections. They should measure the effectiveness of each channel based on costs and the number of candidates that responded through these channels. This information will guide them so they can determine which channels to use and which to eliminate in the future.


Number of Qualified Candidates

Most job ads will bring in several candidate responses, but how many of these candidates are qualified? Unqualified candidates can prolong the hiring process wasting time and money. If you find your ads attract several unqualified candidates, consider making your job descriptions more accurate or improving your screening process.


Offer Acceptance Rates

When companies finally complete the hiring process and determine the best candidate for their role, they will make an offer. The best outcome is to have that offer accepted. Otherwise, they may have to resort to hiring a less desirable candidate or restart the hiring process.


If your company has low offer acceptance, you may be misrepresenting your organization, or perhaps you are not producing an attractive deal. Long hiring times and poor hiring processes can also lead to low acceptance rates.


Stahl Recruiting Ensures You Achieve

Optimal Talent Acquisition KPIs


It can be difficult for organizations to reach their talent acquisition KPIs. Stahl Recruiting can help. We will reduce your time to hire, decrease expenses, and ensure a positive candidate experience.

We have years of experience finding the best talent for executive positions in the rail industry. Our company stands out for its honesty, integrity, and ethics. Contact us to ensure an effective hiring process. 

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Stahl Recruiting Executive Search


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