Built from CXR research sessions with TA leaders at CVS Health, Dell, and KPMG, this briefing captures how high-performing recruiting teams are rethinking measurement. Instead of chasing averages like global time-to-fill, they're designing scorecards that reflect value — not just volume.
- Which metrics are overrated — and why? Global TTF and raw CPH can mislead leaders without context or segmentation.
- What should we measure instead? Outcome-linked KPIs that reflect candidate experience, retention, and process health.
- How do we show progress? A one-page TA scorecard with clear definitions, ownership, and trends over time.
Why shift your metric set
Metrics tell the story of your recruiting function — but too often, that story is written for finance instead of strategy. When TA dashboards focus on quantity over quality, they lose influence. CXR members are flipping the narrative by tying every measure to business outcomes executives care about most: productivity, retention, and engagement.
For example, one CXR member redefined their "time-to-fill" metric by role family rather than globally and uncovered a 23-day variance between high-volume and specialized hiring — leading to targeted process improvements and a faster overall cycle.
Core KPIs to keep (but define clearly)
Keep these KPIs — but redefine how you track and talk about them.
- Time-to-fill / Time-in-stage: Track by role family and business unit. The goal isn't speed alone — it's predictability.
- Quality of hire: Blend manager feedback, tenure milestones, and performance within 6–12 months.
- Cost-per-hire: Include internal labor and tech spend. Use trendlines to show efficiency, not austerity.
Outcome-linked metrics
The next generation of recruiting metrics connects experience, brand, and process outcomes. These metrics shift conversations from cost to impact.
- Candidate experience: Candidate NPS, application completion rate, % of applicants receiving timeline expectations.
- Brand effectiveness: % hires from brand-driven channels, career site conversion, share of applicants citing EB assets.
- Process health: Automation coverage for low-value tasks, integration error rate, recruiter time in CRM/ATS vs. candidate time.
- Recruiter effectiveness: Ratio of recruiter hours spent in candidate engagement vs. system maintenance — a key leading indicator of TA maturity.
Data transparency drives trust.
Organizations that share TA metrics across HR and business leaders are twice as likely to secure funding for employer brand and automation initiatives. Transparency turns recruiting data into enterprise strategy.
How to operationalize
Building better metrics is only the first step — operationalizing them requires consistency, accountability, and visibility.
- Start with one executive problem. Pick a KPI leadership cares about (retention, speed, cost) and show how TA moves it.
- Build a single-page scorecard. Use color-coded variance and owner names to prompt action, not debate.
- Instrument the journey. Capture stage data in your ATS or CRM to automate reporting.
- Run quarterly retros. Analyze results by cohort to identify which changes truly moved outcomes.
Download the KPI worksheet
Download the CXR KPI Worksheet — a one-page template used by leading employers to define, align, and track their recruiting metrics. Includes definitions, sample targets, and benchmarks from CXR's research panels.
💡 Members also receive anonymized benchmarks comparing similar-sized organizations.
CXR members consistently report that redefining metrics changes how leadership views recruiting. When data moves from descriptive to strategic, TA earns its seat at the business table. Join the CXR community to see how peers are modernizing measurement and shaping TA's value story.
CareerXroads (CXR) Community and CXR Research Panels — synthesized from thousands of CXR member discussions and research.