Which metric would you use to determine which recruiting source produces the highest number of qualified applicants?

• A. Recruiting yield analysis
• B. Selection ratio
• C. Time to hire
• D. Cost per hire

Answer: (A)

Tracking how many qualified applicants come from each recruiting source is the idea being tested. Recruiting yield analysis follows candidates as they move through the hiring funnel and breaks down counts by source at the stage where applicants meet the qualifications. This lets you compare sources by the actual number of qualified candidates they produce, not just raw applicants or hires.

To use it, define what “qualified” means for the role, collect data for each source, and tally how many applicants meet the qualification criteria from each source. The source with the highest count of qualified applicants is the most productive in delivering qualified candidates. If you also care about efficiency, you can look at the yield rate (qualified per total applicants) to adjust for volume differences.

The other metrics don’t answer this question as directly: selection ratio looks at hires relative to applicants (not specifically who becomes qualified), time to hire measures speed, and cost per hire focuses on cost, not the quantity of qualified candidates produced.