In today’s market, where quality roles are fewer and candidate movement is more cautious, recruiters who continue to run on traditional KPIs – CVs sent, candidate meetings, client meetings – are only capturing part of the story.
Activity doesn’t always equal impact.
Now more than ever, the quality of your process matters more than the quantity of your output.
What’s Missing in Traditional KPIs?
Traditional metrics often miss the following:
- How long did it take to deliver a shortlist?
- How many candidate meetings converted to a credible send-out?
- How often are client calls progressing to repeat business?
- What’s your fill rate vs. time spent?
- Is your process adding measurable value or just motion?
A Balanced Scorecard Approach
At Intuitive, as we have evolved we have established a Balanced Scorecard to measure what truly drives sustainable success. Here’s a snapshot of how we track and assess performance more meaningfully:
| Category | What We Track |
|---|---|
| Quality of Work | Conversion rates (CV to Interview), feedback scores, shortlist hit rate |
| Efficiency | Time to shortlist, time spent per successful placement |
| Client Engagement | Repeat business, engagement depth, retained vs. contingent split |
| Candidate Experience | Response times, redeployment, follow-up consistency |
It’s About Outcomes, Not Just Activity
In a slower market, volume doesn’t win – VALUE DOES. A recruiter who sends fewer, better-matched CVs and delivers consistently well-curated shortlists is more valuable than one sending high volume with low conversion.
The Takeaway
If you’re still chasing dated KPIs in this market, you’re running the wrong race.
Use a balanced scorecard approach to look at your performance through the lens of:
- Depth over breadth
- Impact over action
- Conversion over activity
It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing better – and knowing exactly what that looks like.
