Recruiting Analytics: Metrics You Should Actually Track
Your ATS collects data—but are you using it wisely? Learn which metrics drive recruiting success and how to avoid vanity reporting.
Most modern ATS platforms are data-rich—but insight-poor. With dozens of dashboards and filters available, it’s easy to get lost in vanity metrics and overlook what truly drives better hiring.
This guide focuses on the metrics that matter, how to track them through your ATS, and how to use analytics to improve—not just report on—recruiting.
What Is Recruiting Analytics?
Done right, analytics helps answer:
- Where are we losing candidates?
- Which channels deliver high performers?
- What slows down time-to-hire?
- Are we meeting our DEI goals?
Metrics That Matter
1. Time-to-Hire
Measures the days between job opening and candidate acceptance. Lower is generally better—but only if quality remains high.
2. Source of Hire
Tracks where your best candidates come from: job boards, referrals, LinkedIn, career fairs, etc.
3. Conversion Rates
How many candidates make it through each stage?
| Stage | Example Rate |
|---|---|
| Application → Screen | 20–30% |
| Screen → Interview | 50–60% |
| Interview → Offer | 20–30% |
| Offer → Acceptance | 80–90% |
These reveal process bottlenecks and unrealistic filters.
4. Offer Acceptance Rate
If this drops, something’s off: compensation, communication, reputation—or the candidate experience.
5. Candidate Experience Ratings
Collected via post-process surveys or Net Promoter Score (NPS). Often overlooked—but powerful.
6. Quality of Hire
Harder to measure, but critical. Can include:
- Hiring manager satisfaction
- First-year retention
- Onboarding milestones
- Performance reviews
Quality of hire often lags other metrics but has the biggest long-term impact.
7. Diversity Metrics
Track pipeline composition by gender, race/ethnicity, age, etc.—and pass-through rates between stages.
How to Track Metrics in Your ATS
Tag Candidates Consistently
Use structured fields (e.g. source, recruiter, location) to enable clean reporting.
Use Stage Tracking
Make sure your ATS clearly records when candidates move between stages—and why.
Automate Reports
- Weekly dashboards for recruiters
- Monthly reports for leadership
- DEI snapshots per quarter
Moving from Reporting to Insight
Ask “so what?” after every metric.
- Time-to-hire is up—why?
- Referrals are declining—what changed?
- Interview drop-off rose—was there a new screener?
Numbers without narrative are just noise.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
- Overfocusing on quantity (e.g. applications) vs. quality
- Tracking everything but acting on nothing
- Ignoring outliers or anomalies
- Comparing across roles without context
Benchmarking and Trend Analysis
Don’t rely on static snapshots. Trends tell you:
- Are we improving quarter over quarter?
- Is a new recruiter or job type changing the averages?
- How does our funnel compare to peers or industry data?
Conclusion
Your ATS already holds the data. The real challenge is asking better questions—and turning metrics into movement. With the right focus, recruiting analytics becomes your compass, not just your scorecard.