Employer Branding Metrics to Guide Your Efforts

Employer branding can help you attract and engage in-demand talent, while also allowing candidates to self-select. These are both crucial for ensuring a high quality of hire.

When your employer brand attracts candidates who genuinely connect with your mission and values, you’re more likely to hire people who thrive in your environment.

Measure how you employer branding efforts are improving quality of hire by tracking things like performance ratings and hiring manager satisfaction scores.

Quality of hire connects your recruiting efforts to business outcomes, making it one of the most valuable employer branding indicators.

A strong employer brand can entice more candidates to apply to your jobs and accept your offers. This can reduce the need for things like additional job ads, skill assessments, and background checks, saving you money.

However, you may find that investing in employer branding initially increases your cost per hire. For example, spending money to build out your careers site will add to your recruiting expenses, but ultimately deliver long-term savings as it helps you attract candidates for years to come.

A strong employer brand typically reduces time to fill because you can build a candidate pipeline faster and close more of your top-choice candidates during the offer stage.

Track this metric for different positions and departments to identify patterns. Some roles naturally take longer to fill than others, but consistently long hiring cycles might indicate employer branding challenges.

Three in four job seekers consider an employer’s brand before applying for a job. A negative or unmanaged employer brand may cause candidates to overlook your opportunity. But a positive employer brand may entice more candidates to apply — increasing your application completion rate.

Track your application rate for different types of roles to identify patterns. Technical positions may have lower application rates due to candidate scarcity, while entry-level positions might see higher rates.

You’ll want to see your application rate increasing alongside employer branding initiatives, indicating that your employer brand resonates with job seekers and motivates them to take action.

Your offer acceptance rate shows the percentage of candidates who accept your job offers. This metric directly reflects how attractive your company appears to qualified candidates and how effectively your employer brand influences their decision-making. In fact, 37% of U.S. employees say a great company reputation or brand is important when considering whether or not to take a job with a different organization.

A high offer acceptance rate indicates that candidates want to work for your company and view your opportunities favorably. Low acceptance rates might signal that your employer brand isn’t resonating with candidates or that competitors are more appealing.

Track this metric monthly and quarterly to identify trends. Also consider tracking acceptance rates by role type, seniority level, and candidate source to gain deeper insights.

Effective employer branding attracts candidates who are genuinely interested in your company culture and mission, leading to better retention rates. When people join your organization for the right reasons, they’re more likely to stay long-term and contribute to your success.

Most companies track annual retention rates, though you might also monitor your 90-day retention rate. High engagement rates indicate that your employer brand accurately represents your employee experience.

Focus on retention rates for different departments, employee demographics, and locations to understand how different groups of team members differ.

New hire satisfaction measures how new team members feel about their hiring experience and early days with your company. This metric directly reflects your employer brand promise and whether you deliver on candidate expectations.

High new hire satisfaction indicates that your employer brand accurately represents your company culture and that new team members feel welcomed and supported. Low satisfaction scores might suggest a disconnect between your brand messaging and actual employee experience.

Measure new hire satisfaction through surveys at 30, 60, and 90 days after hiring. Ask about your interview process, onboarding experience, role clarity, and overall satisfaction. Use a consistent scale and track responses over time to identify improvement opportunities.

Many companies find that new hire satisfaction strongly correlates with long-term retention and performance. Team members who have positive early experiences are more likely to become engaged contributors and brand ambassadors who help attract future candidates.

Employee satisfaction measures how your current team members feel about working for your company. This metric directly impacts your employer brand because satisfied team members can become your best recruiters and brand advocates.

Happy team members are more likely to refer candidates, share positive experiences online, and speak positively about your company to others. Conversely, dissatisfied team members can damage your employer brand through negative employer reviews and word-of-mouth.

Conduct regular employee satisfaction surveys to ask about things like work environment, management support, growth opportunities, and overall job satisfaction. Track trends over time and compare results across departments and tenure groups.

You could even run a simple Net Promoter Score (NPS) questionnaire to measure how likely your team members are to recommend your company as a place to work. This metric provides a simple way to gauge overall employee satisfaction and predict employer brand strength.

Employee referral rate measures what percentage of your hires come from current team member recommendations. This metric reflects both employee satisfaction and the strength of your internal employer brand advocates.

Team members who genuinely enjoy working for your company naturally want to refer friends and colleagues to join them. High referral rates indicate strong employee engagement and satisfaction with your workplace culture.

Candidate quality measures how well applicants match your position requirements and company culture. This metric helps you evaluate whether your employer brand attracts the right types of candidates for your organization.

High candidate quality means you spend less time screening unqualified applicants and more time evaluating viable candidates. Strong employer branding typically improves candidate quality by clearly communicating your expectations and company culture.

Measure candidate quality by tracking average interview scores or how many candidates advance through each stage of your hiring process.