Do you know what the right workload is for your recruiters? It can be a tough question to answer. Measuring the number of requisitions (reqs) per recruiter can be a useful metric to help you understand. It might even be a KPI you’ve been looking for.
It’s an easy metric to calculate. Just total the number of open reqs for a pre-determined population. It’ll be beneficial to look at this metric by an individual recruiter and for the recruiting team as a whole. Comparing the number of reqs by each recruiter will let you see if the work is balanced among the team.
Also, make sure to track this number over time. Start looking at how many open reqs there are at the end of each month and compare them against each other. Or at the beginning of the month or middle, whatever makes sense for your team. It will help you identify any trends and when hiring peaks.
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But how many reqs is the right number?
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Well.. that depends on a variety of factors. One of the biggest factors is the type of roles. A recruiter focused on higher level management roles will have a lower number of reqs. But, they will most likely require more work to ensure they are a quality hire. The same goes for recruiters focused on filling roles with unique, specialized skills.
Other metrics will impact the number as well. Longer time-to-fills where the recruiting process is long can cause recruiters to have more open reqs. They’ll gain new reqs as candidates are working their way through multiple interviews. Low offer acceptance rates will also keep reqs open longer too. One last metric that has the biggest impact is turnover. Higher the turnover rate, the more open positions to fill.
Of course, the recruiter’s experience and the resources or tools available to them will have a huge impact. More experienced recruiters will source for candidates and fill jobs quicker. They will have the knowledge on how to spot key skills for the right roles and know where to source quality candidates. Even less experienced recruiters will have a better time filling roles with the right systems and processes. Like an applicant tracking system (ATS) that can automate processes, integrates with calendars and communication, and tracks candidates. Artificial intelligence can even help screen resumes and look for keywords that match job descriptions.
Having higher numbers of open reqs isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially in retail or fast food industries where high volume recruiting is the norm. Though, recruiters still have a limit. Be cautious to not overwork your team, which will lower the quality of hire.
The industry standard for open reqs at any given time is 30-40 per recruiter. But this is only an average number that can differ drastically from organization to organization. There’s not necessarily a one size fits all when it comes to determining the right amount of open reqs for your recruiters. You will have to do some internal benchmarking and hold your team to those standards.
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The right HR dashboard can give you the tools to track this metric easier. It will quickly and easily calculate it based on your parameters. Check out a free demo of our automated HR dashboard.
