Application-to-Interview Rate
Percentage of applications received that progress to a first interview
What is Application-to-Interview Rate?
Application-to-interview rate is the percentage of applications that lead to an interview. It shows how well applicants match the roles and how selective the first screening is.
A very low rate can mean job adverts attract the wrong people, and a very high one may mean screening is too loose.
How this KPI is measured
- Function
- Human Resources
- Sub-function
- Talent Acquisition
- Industry
- All Industries
- Type
- Lagging
- Impact
- Efficiency
- Unit
- %
- Measurement frequency
- Monthly / Quarterly
- Formula
- (Candidates invited to interview / Total applications received) × 100
How to calculate it
Divide candidates invited to interview by total applications received, and multiply by 100.
For example, if 1,000 applications produced 120 interviews, the rate is 12%.
Track by role and by source, since the rate differs between roles and channels.
Where it is used
Improving job adverts
Attract better-matched applicants.
Assessing sources
See which channels supply suitable people.
Planning recruiter capacity
Estimate interviews needed.
How to improve it
Tips and common mistakes
- Do not screen out good people through unnecessary requirements.
- Watch for bias in screening.
- Read with later stage conversion.
More Human Resources kpi library
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