We’ve achieved the Talent Acquisition holy grail…

While traditional recruitment metrics such as Time to Fill and Cost of Hire remain essential, the core objective of any successful talent acquisition function is to secure the best talent available.

But how do you measure something as complex as “quality” when it comes to hiring? Inspired by insights from No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer, we’ve developed two practical and impactful measures that can help you evaluate the success of your hiring efforts:

1. Quality of Hire Indicator (easy)
2. New Joiner Talent Density (advanced)

Together, these metrics provide a clear snapshot of immediate performance while aligning recruitment with your organisation’s long-term goals. Let’s break down how they work and why they matter.

The Quality of Hire Indicator

This first tool is designed for simplicity and delivers valuable insights quickly. At its core is one key question, asked to hiring managers three months (or an alternative timeframe if preferable) after a new hire joins the team:

“Would you enthusiastically re-hire this person?”

The answer choices are straightforward: Yes, No, or Not Sure Yet. Responses marked as “Not Yet Sure” can be surveyed again at a later timeframe, such as six months, with only “Yes” or “No” options available.

This question can be supplemented with additional evaluations to provide deeper insights into the new hire’s performance, such as:

• Performance ratings
• Engagement levels
• Speed to competence
• Shifts in perception since the interview
• Suggestions for improving the recruitment process

Following this, we calculate a Quality of Hire score based on the percentage of “Yes” responses at both the 3-month and 6-month marks. This provides a clear metric to track new hire performance early in their journey.

Benefits of the Quality of Hire Indicator

This feedback loop delivers powerful advantages:

• Proactive probation management: By gathering critical feedback before formal reviews, HR can address concerns early, avoiding last-minute surprises.
• Valuable insights: Both qualitative and quantitative data help refine recruitment and performance management processes.

While some may argue that this metric relies heavily on hiring managers’ opinions, it’s worth noting that organisations already trust these managers to make hiring decisions. It stands to reason, then, to trust their judgment in assessing the quality of those decisions.

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