Glossary
A plain-language definition from the Curriculo hiring glossary.
Quality of hire measures the value a new employee brings, usually judged by performance, ramp time, retention, and manager satisfaction.
Why it matters
Speed and cost are easy to track, but they don't tell you whether you hired the right person. Quality of hire closes that gap. It shows which sources, interviewers, and screening methods lead to people who do well and stay.
A simple formula
There's no single standard, so pick a few signals and average them. One common version:
Quality of hire = (performance + ramp + retention + manager satisfaction) / 4. Score each part from 0 to 100.
A worked example
A new account executive is rated 80 on her first review. She hit full quota in four months against a six-month target, so her ramp score is 90. She's still on the team after a year, so retention is 100. Her manager rates the hire 85. Her quality of hire score is (80 + 90 + 100 + 85) / 4, or 88.75.
Average these scores by source or by interviewer once you have enough hires to compare.
Common mistakes
- Measuring too early, before the person has had time to ramp.
- Using only manager opinion, which can drift with mood or bias.
- Comparing scores across roles with different targets.
- Collecting the data and never using it to change how you hire.
How to improve it
Define the outcomes a role must deliver before you open it. Screen for evidence of those outcomes. Use structured interviews with a shared rubric. Then check which steps of your process best predict the scores above.
Read the full quality of hire guide, see the cost of a bad hire, and track recruitment analytics over time.