Quality of Hire: Definition and HR Best Practices

The 4 dimensions of Quality of Hire

Individual performance

Goal attainment, team contribution, formal manager assessments at 3, 6 and 12 months. The most objective and measurable dimension.

–Probation period objectives score
–Role KPIs at 6 months
–Annual evaluation

Cultural fit

Team integration, alignment with company values, colleague feedback on behaviours. More subjective but critical for long-term success.

–360° feedback
–Team satisfaction survey
–Cultural fit score

Retention and engagement

Presence rates at 6 and 12 months, engagement score. Departure within 6 months usually signals a recruitment problem.

–6-month retention rate
–12-month retention rate
–Engagement score

Time to competency

Duration to full independence and expected productivity. Compared to internal benchmarks for similar roles.

–Days to independence
–Learning curve
–Comparison to standards

How to calculate your Quality of Hire

The most common formula: Quality of Hire = (Performance + Cultural fit + Retention) / 3

Each dimension scores out of 100. You can weight differently based on priorities.

Concrete example: an employee with Performance 85/100, Cultural fit 90/100 and still employed at 12 months (Retention 100/100) achieves a QoH of 91.7/100 — excellent result.

Quality of Hire calculation grid

Dimension	Standard weighting	Indicators measured	Score
Individual performance	40 %	Goals met, manager evaluation	0–100
Cultural fit	30 %	Team feedback, integration, values	0–100
Retention	20 %	Presence at 6 and 12 months	100 if present, 0 if departed
Time to competency	10 %	Days to independence vs benchmark	0–100 (inverted)

Use Quality of Hire to optimise recruitment

Optimisation actions based on QoH

Analyse QoH by candidate source
Referral vs job boards vs agency: identify highest-performing channels
Identify recruitment biases
QoH variations by recruiter reveal biases to correct
Refine candidate personas
Common traits of top QoH performers → future selection criteria
Measure evaluation method impact
Scorecards, tests, simulations: which best predicts QoH?
Benchmark by job family
Compare comparable QoH (same level, same role)

0/5 effectué(s)0%

Frequently asked questions about Quality of Hire

When should Quality of Hire be measured?

Ideally at multiple milestones: probation completion (2–4 months), 6 months and 12 months. Some organisations continue to 24 months for full perspective. The 6-month measure is often most representative: long enough to evaluate real integration without waiting too long. Schedule these evaluations at hire to avoid forgetting them.

Should Quality of Hire be measured for all roles?

Start with key roles (high business impact) or significant recruitment volumes. Once the method is established, gradually extend to all hires. For very small SMEs with few annual hires, a qualitative approach (structured questions to the manager) can replace numerical scoring.

How do you compare QoH across very different roles?

Use role-specific criteria but maintain common methodology for trend comparison. Don't compare a software developer's QoH with a sales person's: performance indicators differ too much. Create sub-categories (technical roles, sales roles, support roles) and compare within each category.

What constitutes a good Quality of Hire score?

A score above 80/100 is generally considered excellent. Between 60–80 is acceptable with improvement areas. Below 60 signals problematic recruitment meriting deep analysis. These are indicative: calibrate based on your own history and improvement goals.

How can you use QoH to improve job adverts?

By analysing common traits of high-QoH hires (career path, soft skills, experience sectors), adjust advert content to attract similar profiles. If your best hires come from specific sectors or training backgrounds, include these in role descriptions and sourcing messages.

Track your Quality of Hire with Aurelia

Dedicated dashboards, evaluations scheduled at 3–6–12 months, source analysis: continuously optimise your recruitment quality.

Schedule a demo Explore the HR glossary

Quality of Hire: Definition and HR Best Practices

Sommaire

Definition