You can’t measure the success of your hiring campaigns if you don’t track your results. Our Toronto Recruiters encounter many companies that struggle to know how to improve their recruiting efforts or identify the areas where things go wrong. The common thing we see is that they are not using the right metrics (if any) to track their efforts. When you do this, you’re flying blind.
LinkedIn Talent Solutions created a robust list of important metrics that all hiring managers should use to assess the success of their recruitment campaigns. This is a great starting point for measuring your hiring efforts and identifying areas for improvement.
1. Application completion rate
Definition: The percentage of candidates who start your job application process and complete it.
Why it matters: A low completion rate may signal that your application process is too long, confusing, or not mobile-friendly. Streamlining the process can prevent you from losing strong candidates before you even have a chance to review them.
2. Candidate call back rate
Definition: The percentage of candidates contacted by your recruitment team who respond to initial outreach.
Why it matters: A low call back rate could mean your outreach messages aren’t engaging or your employer brand isn’t resonating with talent. Tracking this helps you refine how you present opportunities to potential hires.
3. Candidates per hire
Definition: The number of candidates you need to review or interview before making a single hire.
Why it matters: If this number is too high, it could signal inefficiencies in your screening process or job descriptions that aren’t attracting the right talent. Ideally, you want quality over quantity.
4. Cost per hire
Definition: The total cost of bringing on a new employee, including job ads, recruiter fees, software, assessments, and staff time.
Why it matters: Hiring is one of the most expensive investments companies make. Tracking cost per hire allows you to assess ROI, budget more effectively, and identify areas where costs can be reduced without sacrificing quality.
5. Employee referrals
Definition: The percentage of hires that come from employee referral programs.
Why it matters: Referred candidates are often higher quality, onboard faster, and stay longer. A strong referral rate suggests a healthy workplace culture and engaged employees who are willing to recommend your company.
6. Fill rate
Definition: The ratio of job openings successfully filled compared to the number of openings posted.
Why it matters: A low fill rate may highlight issues such as unrealistic job requirements, ineffective sourcing, or weak employer branding. It’s a direct measure of how successful your hiring process is.
7. Quality of hire
Definition: A measure of how well new employees perform, contribute, and fit within your organization after being hired.
Why it matters: Hiring quickly is useless if new employees don’t meet performance expectations. Tracking quality of hire ensures that you’re not just filling seats but actually strengthening your team.
8. Retention rate
Definition: The percentage of employees who remain with the company for a set period (often 1 year).
Why it matters: High turnover is costly. A strong retention rate shows that your hiring and onboarding processes are aligned with employee expectations and company culture.
9. Satisfaction rate
Definition: A measure of how satisfied both candidates and hiring managers are with the recruitment process.
Why it matters: Candidate satisfaction affects your employer brand, while hiring manager satisfaction reflects how well the recruitment team meets organizational needs. Tracking both helps balance efficiency and experience.
10. Sourcing channel effectiveness
Definition: An evaluation of which recruitment sources (job boards, referrals, LinkedIn, recruiters, etc.) deliver the highest-quality hires.
Why it matters: Not all channels are equal. Measuring effectiveness helps you allocate resources to the channels that consistently bring in the best talent, saving time and money.
11. Time to hire
Definition: The total time between a candidate applying (or being sourced) and accepting a job offer.
Why it matters: Long hiring timelines can cause you to lose top talent to faster-moving competitors. Tracking this metric helps you identify bottlenecks and improve overall efficiency.
12. Turnover rate
Definition: The percentage of employees who leave the company within a given period (voluntarily or involuntarily).
Why it matters: High turnover signals deeper issues, such as poor hiring decisions, lack of engagement, or cultural misalignment. Understanding turnover helps refine both your hiring and retention strategies.
A final word on hiring metrics
How many of these metrics are you using to assess your hiring practices? Hiring success isn’t just about filling open roles, it’s about making smart, data-driven decisions that improve the quality and efficiency of your recruitment efforts. By tracking these key metrics, hiring managers can pinpoint what’s working, uncover where processes are breaking down, and continuously refine their strategy.
More Expert Recruitment Advice
10 Red Flags Employers See in Candidates (and What They Really Mean)
Rethinking ‘Culture Fit’: Hiring for Growth, Not Just Similarity
8 Ways to Build a Strong Employer Brand Without a Huge Budget
