Finding ways to grow your staffing business can be scary. This Halloween season, though, there’s nothing to be spooked about! By taking advantage of the data in your ATS, you can establish your secret potion for filling job orders successfully and growing your business.

This article discusses 7 ATS metrics to help you set goals for successfully filling jobs with higher retention rates. Tracking ATS performance at each stage will help foster business growth for your staffing firm.

1 Cup of New Applicants

The first ATS metric to track is how many new applicants are coming into your database on a daily and/or weekly basis. You can even take it a step further and track how the applicants are coming into your system.

Are they finding you through your website, through social media, a posting on a job board, etc.? Keep track of new applicants coming into your system. This will determine if you are getting enough new applicants or need to get new applicants in the door.
By tracking the referral source, you can further see what source is doing the best in attracting new candidates. Later, you will begin to see what sources are most successful in bringing in quality candidates with a low turnover rate.

1 Cup of Applicants Being Contacted by Recruiters

Next, once you determine the number of applicants coming into your system, you will want to track the number of applicants being contacted by recruiters on a daily and/or weekly basis. It’s fantastic to have new applicants coming into your system, but if nobody is contacting them, then it is all for naught. See the percentage of applicants being contacted, and if it’s not close to 100%, see what might be happening.

Does your team need to implement a new process to contact new applicants? How are recruiters assigning new applicants? These are a couple of questions to ask if this ATS metric requires improvement.

A Dash of a Conditional Job Offer

After you determine the number of applicants that have been contacted, see how many are being issued a conditional job offer on a daily and/or weekly basis. This will help you determine the quality of the candidates coming into the system and if they are a fit for your open positions.

If not many are receiving job offers, you can see why this may be the case. Is their skill set not aligned with the positions you are recruiting for? You can also refer back to the referral source. Is one source bringing in candidates who aren’t a fit?

If unqualified applicants are applying, consider adjusting the job description or changing the platform where you promote the job.

A Spoon Full of Placements on an Assignment

Upon determining the number of applicants receiving a conditional job offer, see how many are placed on an assignment.

How many of the job offers you are offering are being accepted? If a low percentage is being accepted, why might this be? Was the offer not competitive with the industry? Was the recruiting process too long, and they already accepted another job offer?

These are all avenues to investigate if there is a low acceptance rate of job offers.

A Sprinkle of “Show Rate”

Next, after you determine the number of applicants that accepted the job offer, find out your “show rate.”

How many applicants are showing up to work on their first day of employment? If your show rate is low, you can determine why this may be the case. Did you send out reminder texts to the applicants for their first day? Did they accept another job offer, or did they decide just not to show up to work?

Determining why applicants didn’t show up can help set quality candidates apart. If someone didn’t have an excuse not to show, maybe you would put them on a do not place list. If a good candidate accepted another job offer, perhaps you would still consider future positions with caution.

It can also help you determine if any internal processes could be improved. Do you need to contact the applicant more before their first day? Would reminder texts help ensure they show? These are all aspects to think about when evaluating your show rate.

A Teaspoon of Your Turnover Rate

What is the turnover rate for the applicants who show up to their assignment? How many applicants finish the assignment compared to leaving mid-way through? This can also help you set apart quality candidates.

From the candidates that didn’t finish the assignment, why might that be? Did they not like the job? Did they receive another offer? Did they decide just not to show up?

Additionally, you can see if check-in texts were sent throughout the assignment. If not, implement this into your process to check in on candidates throughout their assignments. In doing so, the applicant will know you care and are looking out for them. They may also tell you if they are unhappy, allowing you to find a replacement and another position for them.

A Tablespoon of Retention Rate

In addition to tracking your turnover rate, you will also want to track your retention rate. How many of the applicants that you placed on an assignment finished the assignment? This important ATS metric determines the success of your placements and the quality of the candidates. If you have a low retention rate, then you know something has to change in your process.

As you evaluate your retention rate, look at the 6 ATS recruiting metrics we discussed prior. Go back to the number of applicants coming into the system. What is the ideal number for each of these metrics that will help get you to the retention rate you are seeking?

Uncover Your Secret Potion Through ATS Metrics

After determining the ideal ATS metrics for your staffing organization, establish goals for your team’s success in the recruiting process. Ultimately, it will help you fill more job orders successfully and help increase your retention rate. It is a win-win for your staffing agency and your customers.

So, what’s your secret potion? Shhh, it’s only for you to know about this Halloween season!

Ready to create your secret potion? Schedule a demo of Ultra-Staff EDGE staffing software to see how you can track these metrics easily on an ATS dashboard.

Written by Jennifer Roeslmeier Mikels

Jennifer Roeslmeier Mikels is a Sr. Digital Marketing and Brands Manager at Automated Business Designs, developers of Ultra-Staff EDGE Staffing Software. Jennifer regularly publishes articles about key topics surrounding the staffing industry with both local and national staffing associations.

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