For too long, recruitment has been treated as a black box, you hand over a job spec, cross your fingers, and eventually, a candidate appears. Success was measured by just two metrics: “Did they hire someone?” and “How long did it take?”
Today, this simply isn’t good enough. In the Recruitment-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, transparency and strategy are key. Your talent partner should be providing genuine business insight, moving you from guesswork to data-driven growth.
1. You’re Probably Thinking: Isn’t Time-to-Hire the Only Metric That Matters?
While Time-to-Hire (TTH) the speed at which a role is filled is useful for process efficiency, it tells you nothing about the quality or sustainability of the hire. A fast hire is great, but a fast bad hire costs exponentially more in the long run.
Your RaaS partner should provide a dashboard that answers strategic questions, not just administrative ones.
2. You’re Probably Thinking: What Metrics Actually Indicate Strategic Success?
A strategic RaaS model focuses on metrics that measure quality, cost-effectiveness, and candidate experience. Here are three metrics that should be top of your recruitment dashboard:
📈 Quality of Hire (QoH)
This is the ultimate measure of recruitment success. QoH links the hire back to business performance.
- How it Works: Measured by reviewing the new hire’s performance rating, hitting initial goals, and/or their retention rate after the probation period. (For instance, Glass Octopus focuses on a high probation pass rate).
- Strategic Insight: If QoH is low, the problem lies in the assessment stage or the role definition, not just the sourcing.
💰 Source of Hire Efficiency
You need to know which channels (LinkedIn, referrals, job boards, internal sourcing) are delivering the best candidates, not just the most candidates.
- How it Works: This tracks which source leads to the highest QoH, the fastest TTH, and the lowest cost.
- Strategic Insight: If a specific channel yields the best talent but is slow, the RaaS partner can focus effort there. If referrals are great but low volume, a strategy can be built to boost the internal programme. This ensures future spend is targeted and efficient.
⭐ Candidate Experience Score (CES)
The way you treat applicants reflects directly on your employer brand and your ability to attract top talent. A good candidate experience is vital for long-term growth.
- How it Works: Measured by surveying candidates (both successful and unsuccessful) on the clarity of communication, fairness of the process, and professionalism of the interviewers.
- Strategic Insight: If CES is low, it highlights problems within your internal process (e.g., slow feedback, inconsistent interviews), allowing the RaaS partner to provide crucial training or process improvements.
3. You’re Probably Thinking: How Does an Embedded Partner Use This Data Differently?
A contingent agency, paid on success, is incentivised to deliver CVs quickly. Their primary data point is: Placement.
An Embedded or Fractional RaaS partner, who is integrated and paid on a retained basis, is incentivised to improve your overall recruitment system.
- Data Integration: They implement and use your Applicant Tracking System (ATS) data, providing full visibility and transferring ownership of the data to you.
- Consulting & Forecasting: They don’t just report numbers; they use QoH trends to forecast future training needs, and use TTH analysis to predict workload and advise on budget allocation for the next quarter.
Conclusion: Data is the Foundation of Predictable Growth
Moving to a data-driven recruitment strategy is essential for scaling. It allows you to move away from reactive hiring (filling holes as they appear) to proactive talent planning. By insisting on metrics like Quality of Hire, Source Efficiency, and Candidate Experience, you transform recruitment from a cost centre into an investment that delivers measurable returns and builds your employer brand sustainably.
