The Past Candidate Funnel report helps you analyze and assess past hiring processes from beginning to end. By a high-level visualization of the hiring process based on the recruiting stages, you can easily single out stages with exceptional pass-through or drop-off rates, identify bottlenecks, and pinpoint specific aspects in the hiring process that require optimization.

What you can do with this report

The Past candidate funnel report is set to:

• Provide a high-level overview of the flow of candidates through the workflow of the hiring process

• Visualize the hiring process by recruiting stages

• Highlight bottlenecks in the hiring process

• Calculate and track pass-through and drop-off rates

• Assess resource investment and success rates of past hiring processes

Data requirements for the funnel report

To display data in the funnel chart, a few conditions must be met:

• Only past candidates are included – The report only includes candidates who are no longer in the hiring process. This means candidates whose status is rejected, withdrawn, or hired. Candidates still moving through the process are excluded, so the report can accurately reflect conversion and dropout rates.

• Date filter is based on application date – The time period filter uses the candidates’ application date, that is, when they first entered the hiring process. This ensures consistency, since this date is available for all past candidates, whether they were hired or dispositioned.

What can you learn from the funnel report

This report helps you answer questions such as:

• How many candidates began the hiring process during the selected date range, based on their application date.

• How many of those candidates were ultimately hired.

• What the drop-off rates are at each stage of the hiring process.

• What percentage of candidates move from one stage to the next (pass-through rates).

• What percentage of candidates reached each stage of the hiring process.

• What percentage of candidates who started the process were hired.

• How many applications, on average, were needed for each hire.

• How many candidates were needed at each stage to result in one hire.

Specialized workflows & flexible hiring processes

The importance of flexibility

The recruiting process is rarely one-size-fits-all. Different positions often require unique steps based on the role’s specific demands. That’s why flexibility is key.

Some roles may involve simulations, take-home assessments, or extra in-person interviews. Highly competitive positions might include additional steps like a manager CV screen or a phone screen to better filter candidates early on. In some cases, you may need to customize the process for a specific candidate, skipping or adding steps to fit the situation.

As a result, each position can have its own distinct workflow, differing in the number, order, type, or even names of steps. Recruit supports this flexibility, allowing you to accurately reflect every variation in your hiring process.

High-level view for leadership

Different users have different data needs. For upper management, the priority is often a clear, high-level overview of both past and ongoing hiring activity.

Leaders typically want to understand at a glance whether hiring processes are moving forward as expected and where potential bottlenecks may exist. Key data points of interest often include:

• Number of candidates hired

• Number of new applications received

• Number of candidates who completed a specific interview

• Pass-through rates between stages

This high-level view helps decision-makers track progress and identify areas that may require attention.

The challenge

While these points may seem straightforward, answering them isn’t always simple, especially when looking across multiple positions, each with a different workflow.

We recommend reviewing the funnel report for a single position or several positions that share a similar workflow. However, we understand that’s not always feasible. In practice, leadership often needs a high-level view that spans multiple roles, even when those roles follow different, customized workflows.

This flexibility, while essential, introduces complexity:
Which steps should be shown in the report? In what order? How can we present a clear, unified view when each position may have a different process?

To illustrate this challenge, let’s look at a simple example:

1. Position A's workflow includes the following steps:

   

2. Position B's workflow is fairly different, as it includes the following steps:

   

   While there may be some overlap, each position typically follows a different set of steps arranged to suit its specific hiring needs. For example, Position A includes a simulation and an HR interview, while Position B does not. Conversely, Position B includes a manager-level interview, which is not part of Position A’s workflow.

3. As a result, when trying to display the workflow steps for both positions in a single table, we get the following outcome:

The combined workflow of merely two positions with distinct workflows is almost always confusing, far from intuitive, and unlikely to encourage the production of useful insights.

The solution: Recruiting stages & normalization

To address the challenge of combining flexible, dynamic hiring workflows with clear reporting, we developed a two-part solution.

Recruiting stages

First, we introduced Recruiting Stages, a standardized set of workflow categories used across all positions. When creating a new step, teammates assign it to one of these stages. This approach allows us to combine data from multiple positions with unique workflows into a coherent funnel report.

Recruit’s recruiting stages include:

• Application screening: Filtering applications

• Screening interviews: Initial phone or video screens

• Assessment: Tests, simulations, and skill evaluations

• Advanced interviews: Meetings with peers and managers

• Reference: Reference checks

• Offer: Preparing, approving, and extending offers

By grouping all workflow steps into these stages, the funnel report can unify data from diverse hiring processes.

Normalization

Second, we accommodate the unpredictable nature of hiring processes, such as candidates skipping steps, switching positions, or going through extra stages. Recruit lets teammates customize workflows for each position and candidate as needed. However, for the funnel chart to function properly, data must be consistent.

✍️ For example, consider a scenario in which a candidate passed the CV screen and phone screen in Position A, but then the recruiter moved the candidate to Position B, which is a better fit.

• Since the recruiter knows the candidate has already passed the screening steps in Position A, they assign the candidate to the Assessment step in Position B, which means the candidate skipped the screening steps in their current position.

• In such cases, the funnel report normalizes this data. That is, the candidate will be regarded as if they actually completed and passed the skipped steps in Position B and will be counted as one of the candidates who reached the recruiting stage or stages to which the CV screen and phone screen steps are assigned.

The Past candidates funnel report

Using recruiting stages and data normalization, we created a funnel report that maintains flexibility without sacrificing clarity. This report effectively displays data from multiple positions, each with its own workflow, in a way that suits both high-level and detailed views.

Measuring the health of the hiring process

The funnel report offers valuable insights to assess the overall health of your recruitment efforts:

1. Volume of Applications

   • A lower-than-expected volume of candidates who enter the position pipeline might indicate that:

     • The job description deters qualified candidates from applying.

     • The position has not been effectively published on the more relevant platforms.

   • A higher-than-expected volume of candidates who apply to a position might indicate that:

     • In cases when there is a high drop-off rate in the screening stages, the job description is not specific enough in respect to the position’s requirements.

     • In cases when there is a low drop-off rate in the screening stages, the platforms on which the position has been published are accurate, relevant, and effective.

     • Specific efforts and measures, such as marketing campaigns, aimed at boosting the flow of applicants to that position were successful.

2. Screening stages: Pass-through & drop-off rates

   • Significantly high drop-off rates in the screening stages, e.g. the Application Screening or the Screening Interviews stages, suggest that:

     • The job description is not sufficiently specific or detailed with respect to the qualifications and skills required for the position.

       • But note that the hiring team is highly effective at screening out unqualified candidates early in the hiring process.

     • The hiring team is excessively strict when screening candidates.

   • Significantly high pass-through rates in the screening stages, e.g., the Application Screening and Screening Interviews stages, suggest that:

     • In cases when there is a high pass-through rate in the following stages, the job description and/or the platforms on which the position has been published were accurate, relevant, and effective.

     • In cases when there is a high drop-off rate in the following stages, the hiring team is not strict enough when screening candidates.

3. Applications per Hire

   • A lower-than-expected ratio of candidates who began the hiring processes per-hire suggests that the job description, as well as the platforms on which the position has been published, were exceptionally effective at drawing highly qualified candidates.

   • A higher-than-expected ratio of candidates who began the hiring processes per-hire suggests that the job description is not specific enough for the position’s requirements.

4. Bottom funnel efficiency

   • A higher-than-expected ratio of candidates who reached the more advanced recruiting stages per-hire (e.g., the Assessment or the Advanced Interviews stages) suggests that the hiring team needs to improve on identifying and rejecting less qualified candidates earlier in the hiring process.

   • A lower-than-expected ratio of candidates who reached the more advanced recruiting stages per-hire (e.g., the Assessment or the Advanced Interviews stages) suggests that the hiring team is very effective at identifying and rejecting less qualified candidates earlier in the hiring process.

Have more questions? Contact us at recruit.support@sparkhire.com