Understanding The Role Of Analytics In Recruitment Strategy

Recruiters: data & KPIs are your friend, not your enemy. I get it… sometimes it can feel overbearing to feel like your work is being scrutinized or reduced to a set of numbers/KPIs. And data never tells the full story, but I’ve come to learn just how key it is… I used to work closely with Mike Moriarty at Dropbox in the early days of Gem. And one of the things I was most impressed by was how robust his Recruiter & Sourcer scorecards were. I still remember many of the KPIs, which included activity metrics across key steps of the funnel: # Reach Outs + # Follow-ups Sent + # Recruiter Phone Screens + # Offer Accepts. Mike had worked with each of his recruiters to reverse-engineer how many activities they needed at every step of the funnel to hit their # Offer Accept goals for the quarter. And they had detailed targets broken down by quarter / month / week. They also tracked conversion metrics across key steps to keep a close eye on quality: response rates (quality of outreach), ph screen -> onsite rates (quality of candidate). At first glance, I thought some recruiters might resist the detailed tracking, but Mike had instilled this unique culture where the team embraced a data-driven approach. And as I talked to recruiters across his team, it became clear why…  → having detailed weekly/monthly/quarterly KPIs across every step of the funnel allowed each person to know whether they were on track to hit their goals.  → and if not, they could very quickly see where they needed to focus their efforts to get back on track.  → there were never surprises EOQ and the recruiters on Mike’s team were super high-performing. Mike & team’s data-driven approach allowed each recruiter to operate their open reqs like a business.

In this increasingly litigious era of DEI pushback, it is more important than ever for HR and DEI teams to invest in people analytics and data science capabilities. While at Uber, I hired two org psych PhDs with exceptional qualitative and quantitative research capabilities. They collaborated with people analytics to develop and conduct innovative predictive factor analysis using data beyond traditional demographics. They were also tasked to transform how Uber gathered data. These innovations in data allowed Uber’s DEI approach to be truly data informed and data driven. Rather than relying on imprecise lagging metrics (representation, turn over) we could pinpoint the exact root cause of inequity and address it at the source. Factor and process analysis helped the Uber recruiting team pinpoint that our biggest hurdle to hiring from historically overlooked groups was top of funnel diversity. If an underrepresented person could make it past initial phone screens they had a high probability of getting an offer. It was the initial resume review and phone screen that were acting as blockers. This allowed for further analysis and a solution was created to mitigate bias at this stage. Rather than utilizing tired methods like candidate slate requirements, we could focus on root causes rather than throwing darts in the dark.

Not all HR data is created equal. If we want HR to be seen as a strategic business partner, we need to focus on the metrics that matter most—the ones that provide strategic insights and align directly with organizational goals. HR data typically falls into four categories: * Operational HR: Metrics like absence rates and compliance reporting—necessary, but not game-changing. * Strategic HR: Metrics like cost per hire and workforce planning—offering insights but limited in direct value to the business. * Talent Optimization: Metrics like time-to-productivity and skills gap analysis—focused on improving talent outcomes. * Strategic Insights: Metrics like top talent turnover, leadership effectiveness, and succession planning—these are the high-value, high-insight data points that truly move the needle. When we shift our focus to strategic insights, HR moves beyond just “support” and starts driving real business impact. This is how we: - Strengthen leadership pipelines. - Align talent strategies with the organization’s long-term goals. - Deliver measurable ROI that leadership can see and appreciate. At the end of the day, data isn’t just numbers—it’s the foundation for better decisions, stronger teams, and a more competitive business. The question is: Are you leveraging the right metrics to tell the right story? Let’s move HR into the future—data-driven and value-focused. What challenges or successes have you experienced when using HR analytics? I’d love to hear your perspective. #HRAnalytics #DataDrivenHR #StrategicHR #Leadership #EvolveHRSolutions

Hiring manager: “Attrition’s just part of the game.” HR pro (with data): “Actually, your team’s 2-year turnover is 38% higher than the company median—and exit surveys cite leadership gaps.” That’s the power of People Analytics: Not just reporting what’s happening, but why—and what to do about it. ↳Funnel metrics (screen → offer → accept) show where hiring breaks down. ↳Post-hire dashboards reveal whether culture initiatives actually stick. ↳Correlating DEI progress with revenue expansion? Chef’s kiss. When HR connects the dots, leadership gains clarity, accountability, and urgency. Analytics isn’t a nice-to-have anymore. It’s HR’s ticket to the strategy table.