In a labor market where talent can make or break business performance, McLean & Company is taking aim at one of HR’s most persistent blind spots: measuring the quality of hire. The advisory firm’s newly released Guide to Measuring Quality of Hire gives HR leaders a structured framework to track, analyze, and improve hiring effectiveness—an area most organizations still struggle to quantify.
Despite decades of emphasis on “hiring the right people,” data suggests HR’s confidence in doing so remains shaky. McLean & Company’s HR Management & Governance Diagnostic Survey (2023–2025) found that only 28% of HR leaders believe talent acquisition effectively supports business goals. LinkedIn’s 2025 Global Recruiting Trends paints a similar picture: while 89% of TA professionals agree quality of hire is key to recruiting success, just 25% say they can measure it well.
That gap is costly. According to Zippia, replacing an employee can run as high as 20% of an entry-level salary and over 200% of an executive salary, not to mention the three to eight months it takes most new hires to reach full productivity.
Turning a Vague Concept Into a Measurable Metric
McLean & Company’s new guide is built around a two-part framework designed to make quality of hire measurable, actionable, and aligned with business impact:
-
Preparing to Measure: Define what success looks like, identify core metrics—performance, retention, and time-to-productivity—and develop optional surveys to capture manager and employee feedback.
-
Measuring and Improving: Use scorecards to analyze patterns, uncover hiring bottlenecks, and translate data into targeted action plans that enhance recruiting, onboarding, and development.
“Quality of hire is an essential HR metric because it captures the true return on an organization’s investments in talent,” said Elysca Fernandes, Director of HR Research & Advisory Services at McLean & Company. “It requires going beyond gut feel and isolated performance reviews to a structured, evidence-based approach.”
Beyond the Numbers
The firm emphasizes that quality of hire isn’t about finding a single “magic number.” Instead, success depends on shared accountability among HR, managers, and business leaders. Measuring must lead to action planning—refining hiring strategies, strengthening onboarding, and improving early retention.
The guide also includes sample surveys, scorecard templates, and adaptable frameworks for organizations at different stages of maturity. By tracking results over time, HR teams can evolve their definitions of quality as the business grows or market conditions shift.
Why It Matters
As hiring costs rise and employee turnover continues to challenge growth, HR’s role is shifting from transactional hiring to strategic talent investment. McLean & Company’s framework arrives at a critical moment, offering leaders a roadmap to tie talent outcomes directly to business performance.
For companies tired of relying on instinct over insight, this guide may just be the missing link between recruiting effort and real organizational impact.
Join thousands of HR leaders who rely on HRTechEdge for the latest in workforce technology, AI-driven HR solutions, and strategic insights
