Let’s break down data-driven recruitment. Simply put: recruiting by working with data. Hiring based on data and analysis. Use numbers instead of your (gut) feeling. Simple as that. Alright, now we know what data-driven recruitment is. Interested? Then the logical next question is: “what’s in it for me?”—in other words, how can data-driven recruitment optimize your work as a recruiter?

1. Data-driven recruitment optimizes your candidate journey

Perhaps the most important point on this list—and after all, that’s what it’s all about. If your candidate journey isn’t optimal, there’s a good chance that candidates drop out somewhere in your recruitment process. And who knows—it could be the perfect candidate you’re missing. 

Standing still is falling behind—even in recruitment. With data-driven recruitment, you can use data to analyze and identify flaws in your recruitment process. For example, suppose you notice that many candidates start your assessment, but few complete it. It becomes crucial to find the cause. Are most candidates dropping out at the same point? That’s your starting point. Something needs to be done there to improve the candidate journey. With data-driven assessments or tools, identifying the root cause is easy—saving you a lot of guesswork!

2. No more scattered lists and files with data-driven recruitment 

Data-driven recruitment gives you valuable insights into your process. Not only can you see where things go wrong, but you also have all the numbers readily available. What exactly does that mean in practice? 

• Time-to-fill for vacancies
• Number of applications and funnel insights
• Conversion per vacancy, recruiter, or any metric you choose
• Required hires per vacancy
• Successful platforms at a glance

No more scattered lists! With the right tools, let technology do the work for you. One plus one is two. We don’t need to explain to you that this results in significant cost savings. 

3. Increase your hire quality with data-driven recruitment 

Data analyses not only highlight your dropout rates but also provide insights into your most valuable hires! 

For example, compare past matching scores with actual on-the-job performance. Does an employee with a high matching score also perform well in practice? Or should you use other indicators to determine the right match? Should all competencies be weighted equally? Are there trends in successful hires, such as location or background? These are all questions you can answer by analyzing your data. 

4. Fewer wrong choices with data-driven recruitment 

That you’ll never hire a candidate who turns out not to be the right match? Of course, we can’t guarantee that. However, with data-driven recruitment, you can significantly reduce the percentage of unsuccessful hires. 

Because let’s be honest: how often have you been wrong? How many times did you have a great conversation and a strong connection, only to find out later that it wasn’t the right match after all? It’s probably happened to all of us at least a few times—and that’s perfectly understandable. 

We humans naturally like to present ourselves in the best possible light. We want to leave the most positive impression. And as recruiters, we tend to favor candidates who resemble us—for example, someone with similar interests can quickly create that sense of “connection.” In practice, however, that connection can be misleading. Did you know that 29% of Dutch employees change jobs within two years? That “connection” doesn’t always guarantee a long-term fit.

By recruiting based on competencies and using data-driven methods, we can truly search for the best match—not based on gut feeling, but on facts. 

5. Data-driven recruitment creates support

Do you want more marketing budget or to try out new tools? Chances are you’ll need to justify this to your (hiring) manager. With data-driven recruitment, you can show your hiring manager directly that conversion rates are lagging—that the current methods aren’t reaching the right candidates. You can also highlight which platform is working and which requires extra attention or budget. Want to advocate for new ideas or platforms? Let the data work for you.

Want to optimize your recruitment process using data-driven methods? Recrout offers a variety of tools to help you do just that. Feeling overwhelmed? No worries—we’re happy to schedule a no-obligation meeting with you. Not convinced yet? You can even try our services for free for two weeks!