Hey, if you’re a recruiter and want to make hiring awesome for everyone involved, pay attention to the important numbers.  

Time to hire, submit, and time to fill can be crucial. 

But maybe you haven’t figured out which one matters most yet.  

Keep reading to find out!  

Key Recruitment Metrics to Use: Advice from an ex – Meta and Amazon Recruiter 

We recently kicked off our Popcornside chat and had a conversation with Serdzan Simsek Arnautovic, a recruiter with experience at Meta and Amazon. 

We covered various topics, including the top recruitment metrics you should keep an eye on. One metric he highlighted, which often gets overlooked but is crucial, is time to assess. 

What is Time to Assess?  

Time to assess means checking out how long it takes to size up and pick job candidates. This includes the whole process from posting a job to selecting and hiring someone. 

Companies want to speed up this assessment time to avoid issues like losing out on good candidates, spending more money, and giving candidates a not-so-great experience.  

It’s crucial to find a balance between going fast and making sure the evaluation is thorough to find the perfect fit for the job. 

Why is it important FOR YOU? 

Here are practical reasons why recruiters should actively use and focus on the “time to assess” metric: 

1. Data-Driven Improvements: 

Keeping an eye on how long it takes to evaluate candidates gives you useful info to make things better.  

Recruiters understand the whole hiring process and it’s their job to figure out where things might be going wrong.  

They’re not just there to pick out candidates and set up interviews; they actually have the power to impact the entire process because they’re the only ones with access to all that information. 

2. Making prompt decisions 

As a recruiter, it’s crucial to be on top of your game in a job market where skilled people are in high demand.  

Acting quickly improves your odds of hiring the best talent before they grab offers from other places. This isn’t just good for the company – it also adds to your success as a recruiter. 

3. Candidate Experience: 

It’s a win-win to give job seekers a quick and easy hiring process.  

When you work on speeding up the time it takes to evaluate candidates, you’re not just making their experience better, but you’re also boosting your own success by attracting and keeping talent. 

 4. Efficiency and Resource Optimization: 

You can make better use of your time and energy by focusing on things that directly help you find and lock in the best candidates. 

 5. Avoiding Talent Loss: 

Cutting down the time it takes to assess candidates helps you grab the best talent before they check out other options.  

It’s like making sure you don’t lose awesome candidates to other companies.  

6. Meeting Business Needs Quickly: 

In a fast-moving business world, things can change quickly, and sometimes you need to adjust your team fast.  

If recruiters can speed up the hiring process, they can quickly adapt to these changes. This way, the company gets the right people in the team to handle the evolving needs of the business. 

How to Improve Time to Assess?  

1. Find which stage takes too long and think about how you can improve it. 
2. Both recruiters and hiring managers benefit from interview training, which can help them spot the best candidates for a role more quickly.
3. Schedule regular meetings or check-ins to discuss candidate progress and make decisions promptly.
4. Utilize applicant tracking systems (ATS) or other software tools that automate certain parts of the process, such as scheduling interviews, sending reminders, or tracking candidate progress. 
5. Sometimes, delays occur due to unclear job descriptions or unrealistic requirements. Revisit these to ensure they accurately reflect the role’s needs and are attracting the right candidates. 
6. Implement candidate feedback surveys. Ask about their experience, whether they faced any challenges, and if there were any delays or areas for improvement. Use this feedback to refine your process. 

 Actively using the time to assess metric is practical for recruiters as it directly impacts competitiveness, candidate experience, resource optimization, talent acquisition efficiency, and overall cost-effectiveness. 

It’s a practical tool for staying agile in a dynamic job market.