Cara Menetapkan Sasaran Rekrutmen SMART untuk Tahun 2026 (Dengan Contoh)

Talent acquisition teams are caught in a cycle of escalating pressure. According to the SHRM, the most qualified candidates are often off the market within 10 days, yet the average hiring process can drag on for over 40+ days. This gap creates a cascade of costly tantangan rekrutmen. A lengthy hiring process means top talent accepts offers from more agile competitors. This loss, combined with a lack of eligible applicants, creates immense pressure to “hire fast“, often without a clear recruitment goal to guide decision-making. 

This reactive, “fire-fighting” approach is the primary cause of poor hiring outcomes. It leads to “skill mismatches,” poor cultural fits, and, ultimately, “high turnover and low retention”. This revolving door of talent restarts the entire, costly process. The problem is not just that hiring is difficult. It is that a reactive, goalless hiring process is fundamentally designed to fail. 

The strategic antidote to this vicious cycle is the implementation of clear, data-driven recruitment goals. By shifting from vague ambitions to a proactive strategy built on the SMART framework, teams can break the cycle. 

What Are Recruitment Goals (And Why Make Them “SMART”)?

A recruitment goal is a specific objective set by human resources or talent acquisition teams to guide and improve the entire hiring process. The purpose of these goals is to enhance team performance, streamline processes and, most critically, ensure that all hiring efforts are directly aligned with the organization’s broader strategic needs.   

The primary problem many HR teams face is that their goals are, in fact, wishes. A goal like “hire better people” or “speed up hiring” is a vague ambition, not an actionable business objective. This ambiguity leads directly to the communication gaps and decision-making bottlenecks that plague HR teams.

This is why the CERDAS framework: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound is the essential mechanism for turning those wishes into functional goals.   

SMART goals do not exist in a vacuum. They function within a clear strategic hierarchy, cascading from the highest level of the organization. Understanding this hierarchy provides critical context:

• Organizational Objectives: The high-level strategic mission of the company (for example, “Improve operational efficiency”). 
• Departmental OKRs (Objectives and Key Results): How the HR department will contribute to that mission (for example, “Improve talent acquisition”).
• SMART Recruitment Goals: The specific, actionable initiatives to achieve that OKR (for example, “Reduce time-to-fill for all open roles by 25% by EOY”). 
• Recruitment KPIs (Key Performance Indicators): The specific metrics used to track progress against the SMART goal (for example, “Time-to-Fill in days”). 

How to Set SMART Recruitment Goals: A 5-Step Guide

Setting effective goals is a structured process of analysis, alignment and communication. This step-by-step guide provides a framework for creating goals that are both ambitious and actionable. 

Step 1: Analyze Your Current Performance (Set Your Baseline)

It is impossible to set a measurable goal without first knowing the starting point. An objective to “reduce” time-to-fill from 45 days is meaningless if the current baseline is not known. This first step involves conducting a baseline audit of key recruitment metrics. 

Before setting new goals, the team must answer:

• What is the current average Time-to-Fill and Time-to-Hire?   
• What is the current Cost-per-Hire?   
• What is the current Quality of Hire, as measured by first-year attrition and hiring manager satisfaction?

Step 2: Align Goals with Business Objectives

This step represents the “R” (Relevant) in SMART at a macro level. To secure buy-in and demonstrate ROI, recruitment goals must cascade directly from the company’s overarching strategy.   

This alignment requires asking: “What is the business trying to achieve, and how can talent acquisition help us get there?”

• If the business goal is: “Expand into a new market,”
  • The recruitment goal should be: “Build a qualified, passive talent pipeline in that target region”.   
• If the business goal is: “Increase company profitability,”
  • The recruitment goal should be: “Reduce average Cost-per-Hire by 15% by increasing low-cost sourcing channels”.

Step 3: Deconstruct Your Goal with the SMART Framework

This is the core collaborative exercise. One of the most significant pain points in recruiting is the “communication gap” between recruiters and hiring managers, which often manifests as “unrealistic expectations”.   

The solution is co-writing the SMART goal with these stakeholders. It forces alignment before the search begins. By agreeing on what is “Achievable” and “Relevant,” all parties are held accountable to a shared, clearly defined objective.   

Use these guiding questions for each component:

• Specific (S): What exactly needs to be accomplished? Who is responsible? Which roles, departments, or processes are affected?   
• Measurable (M): How will success be measured? What is the metric (KPI) and the target (a number, percentage, or dollar amount)?   
• Achievable (A): Is this goal realistic given the available resources (team, budget, alat perekrutan)? What new actions, strategies, or resources are required to make it achievable? 
• Relevant (R): Why does this goal matter? Does it directly support the broader business objective identified in Step 2?   
• Time-bound (T): When is the deadline? What are the key milestones or check-in dates?   

Step 4: Write Your Final SMART Goal Statement

After deconstructing the goal, combine the answers from Step 3 into a single, clear and unambiguous statement. This statement becomes the team’s directive.

Misalnya, a vague goal like “hire technical roles faster” becomes a SMART goal: “Reduce the average time-to-fill for all technical positions (S) from 45 days to 30 days (M) by implementing a new AI sourcing tool (A) to prevent losing top candidates (R) by the end of Q3 (T)”.   

Step 5: Allocate Resources, Communicate the Goal, and Track Progress

A goal is useless if it is not implemented. This final step involves action:

1. Allocate Resources: Dedicate the resources identified in the “Achievable” step, such as purchasing a new applicant tracking system (ATS) or investing in training.   
2. Communicate: Share the final, written goal with all stakeholders, including the TA team, hiring managers, and executive leadership, to ensure alignment.   
3. Track: Establish a regular cadence (for example, weekly or monthly) to review the KPIs associated with the goal and adjust the strategy as needed. 

5 Common SMART Recruitment Goals (A Balanced Scorecard Approach)

The five most common recruitment goals: Time, Quality, Cost, Experience and Diversity. These are not just isolated examples. They represent the core tensions of talent acquisition. A mature recruitment strategy uses a “balanced scorecard” approach to manage them.   

Focusing exclusively on one goal will inevitably damage another. For instance, a myopic focus on “Reduce Time-to-Fill” can lead to rushed hires and damage “Quality of Hire”. Conversely, a search for the “perfect candidate”  can extend Time-to-Fill indefinitely. The following examples demonstrate how to set goals for each of these areas as part of a balanced portfolio.   

1. Goal: Reduce Time-to-Fill

• Broad Objective: Speed up the hiring process to secure top talent before competitors.   
• S (Specific): Reduce the average time-to-fill for all open sales roles.
• M (Measurable): From the current baseline of 50 days to 35 days, measured by ATS analytics.
• A (Achievable): This is achievable by implementing a new, incentivized employee referral program  and automating initial screening with AI-driven tools.   
• R (Relevant): This is relevant to prevent losing top candidates in a competitive market  and to fill revenue-generating roles faster, directly impacting the company’s bottom line.   
• T (Time-bound): Within the next 6 months (by the end of Q4).
• Final SMART Goal: “Reduce the average time-to-fill for sales roles from 50 to 35 days by the end of Q4, by launching a new employee referral program and implementing an AI-powered sourcing tool.”

2. Goal: Improve Quality of Hire (QoH)

• Broad Objective: Hire better candidates who perform well and stay with the company longer.   
• S (Specific): Increase the 1-year retention rate for new hires in the engineering department.
• M (Measurable): From the current baseline of 75% to 90%, measured by HRIS retention data and 6-month hiring manager satisfaction surveys.   
• A (Achievable): Achievable by replacing unstructured interviews with standardized, skills-based structured interviews and adopting a “growth-tenet” philosophy that hires for high potential, not just a perfect 1-to-1 resume match.   
• R (Relevant): This is relevant to reducing the high financial and cultural costs of employee turnover and increasing long-term team productivity.   
• T (Time-bound): For all hires made in this fiscal year, with success measured at their first anniversary.
• Final SMART Goal: “Increase the 1-year retention rate for new engineering hires from 75% to 90% for all hires made this fiscal year, by implementing mandatory structured, skills-based interviews and tracking 6-month manager satisfaction.”

3. Goal: Reduce Cost-per-Hire (CPH)

• Broad Objective: Optimize recruiting spend and make the hiring process more financially efficient.   
• S (Specific): Decrease the average cost-per-hire for all non-executive roles.
• M (Measurable): By 15%, from an average of $4,000 to $3,400, calculated using the standard CPH formula: (Internal Costs + External Costs) / Total Hires.   
• A (Achievable): This is achievable by increasing the percentage of hires from low-cost, high-quality sources, specifically aiming for a 25% increase in successful employee referrals and investing in organic employer branding content.   
• R (Relevant): This goal is relevant to the company’s Q3/Q4 budget-saving initiatives and frees up resources for other talent development programs.
• T (Time-bound): By the end of this fiscal year.
• Final SMART Goal: “Decrease the average Cost-per-Hire for non-executive roles by 15% (to $3,400) by the end of the fiscal year, by increasing total hires from the employee referral program by 25%.”

4. Goal: Enhance the Candidate Experience

• Broad Objective: Improve the application and interview process to build a stronger employer brand and attract better talent.   
• S (Specific): Improve the candidate experience for all applicants who reach the formal interview stage.
• M (Measurable): Increase the average Candidate Satisfaction (CSAT) score from 3.5/5 to 4.5/5, measured by automated post-interview feedback surveys.   
• A (Achievable): This is achievable by implementing a “no-ghosting” policy that guarantees all interviewed candidates receive a formal response, and by providing a single point of contact for clear, consistent communication.   
• R (Relevant): This is relevant to strengthening the employer brand and improving the Offer Acceptance Rate, as candidates with a positive experience are more likely to accept.   
• T (Time-bound): By the end of Q3.
• Final SMART Goal: “Increase the average Candidate Satisfaction (CSAT) score for interview-stage applicants from 3.5 to 4.5 by the end of Q3, by implementing a ‘no-ghosting’ policy and ensuring consistent, clear communication.”

5. Goal: Increase Diversity and Inclusion (DEI)

• Broad Objective: Build a more diverse team and ensure an equitable, inclusive hiring process.   
• S (Specific): Increase the representation of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in the leadership talent pipeline (Director-level and above). 
• M (Measurable): Increase representation in this pipeline from the current 18% to 25%, as measured by the annual internal diversity report. 
• A (Achievable): This is achievable by mandating diverse interview panels for all leadership roles and proactively expanding sourcing partnerships with professional networks, organizations and universities focused on URM talent.   
• R (Relevant): This goal is relevant to the company’s public DEI commitment and is critical for fostering innovation by bringing diverse perspectives into leadership.
• T (Time-bound): By the end of EOY 2025.
• Final SMART Goal: “Increase URM representation in the Director-level-and-above talent pipeline from 18% to 25% by EOY 2025, by implementing diverse interview panels and expanding sourcing partnerships with professional networks.”. 

Your Free SMART Recruitment Goal Setting Template (Worksheet)

How to Use This Template

This worksheet is a tool for action. Copy the table below and use the guiding questions, which are based on established goal-setting methodologies, to deconstruct a broad objective into an actionable SMART goal. Fill in each box to clarify the team’s thinking and create a final, aligned goal statement.

SMART Goal Worksheet Table 

Component	Guiding Questions	Your Goal (With Examples)
Broad Objective:	What high-level challenge or business need are you addressing?	Improve hiring efficiency by reducing delays in filling open positions.
Specific	What exactly do you want to achieve? Who is involved?	Reduce the average time-to-fill for all technical roles. The Talent Acquisition (TA) team Dan hiring managers will collaborate to streamline the sourcing and interview process.
Measurable	How will you measure success? What is the specific KPI and target?	Decrease average time-to-fill from 45 days to 30 days, tracked via ATS analytics on a monthly basis.
Achievable	Is this possible? What new actions or resources are needed?	Yes. This can be achieved by implementing an AI-powered sourcing tool, automating candidate screening, and expanding the program rujukan karyawan to attract qualified candidates faster.
Relevant	Why does this matter? How does it align with company objectives?	Aligns with the company’s goal to accelerate product development Dan increase operational efficiency by filling technical roles quickly, ensuring projects stay on schedule.
Time-bound	What is the deadline? What are the milestones?	Complete implementation and achieve target reduction within 6 months (by end of Q2). Review progress monthly and adjust sourcing channels if needed.
Final SMART Goal:	[Combine all elements into one clear statement]	“Reduce the average time-to-fill for all technical roles from 45 days to 30 days by the end of Q2, by implementing AI sourcing tools and expanding the employee referral program to speed up candidate screening and prevent losing top talent.”

How to Measure Your Goals: Key Recruitment Metrics (KPIs) to Track

The “M” (Measurable) in SMART requires a robust toolkit of talent acquisition metrics. These KPIs are the language of a data-driven recruiting team. They can be broadly categorized into two types: process metrics that report what happened and strategic metrics that help predict what will happen. 

Process Metrics (Lagging Indicators)

• Waktu Pengisian: This measures the total number of days from when a job requisition is opened to when an offer is accepted. It is the primary metric for overall process efficiency. 
• Waktu Perekrutan: A more candidate-centric metric, this measures the number of days from when a candidate applies or is first contacted to when they accept an offer. It measures the speed of the candidate’s journey.   
• Biaya per Perekrutan (CPH): This is the total financial investment to make one hire. The standard formula is: (Total Internal Costs + Total External Costs) / (Total # of Hires).   
• First-Year Attrition (Turnover): This is the percentage of new hires who voluntarily or involuntarily leave within their first 12 months. It is a critical lagging indicator of Quality of Hire.   

Strategic Metrics (Leading Indicators)

• Candidate Satisfaction (CSAT): Typically measured via automated surveys sent after interviews or at the end of the process, this metric tracks the candidate’s experience. It is a strong leading indicator of employer brand health.   
• Tingkat Penerimaan Penawaran (OAR): This is the percentage of extended offers that are accepted. A low OAR is a critical red flag indicating that compensation, benefits, or the process itself is uncompetitive.   
• Sourcing Channel Effectiveness: This metric tracks the percentage of qualified candidates or, more importantly, hires that come from each channel (for example, LinkedIn, referrals, papan pekerjaan). This analysis shows where to invest time and money.   

The “North Star” Metric: Quality of Hire (QoH)

Many talent acquisition experts consider Quality of Hire (QoH) to be the “gold standard”  and the single most important metric. This is because it is the ultimate measure of whether the recruitment process is delivering long-term value to the organization.   

However, QoH is not a single, universal KPI. It is a custom, composite dashboard that each organization must define for itself. The first step to tracking QoH is to define what it means for the company. Most effective QoH metrics are a combination of:

1. New Hire Performance: Measured by 6- or 12-month performance review ratings.   
2. New Hire Retention: Measured by the 1-year attrition rate.
3. Hiring Manager Satisfaction: Measured by a 90-day post-hire survey.   

Start Building a Smarter, Faster Hiring Process Today

The shift from reactive “fire-fighting” to strategic, goal-oriented talent acquisition is the most impactful change a recruiting team can make. Moving from vague ambitions like “hire faster” to a data-driven, SMART goal like “Reduce Time-to-Fill for technical roles from 45 to 30 days by Q3” provides clarity, enforces alignment, and delivers a measurable return on investment. This framework is the first step to ending the vicious hiring cycle, proving the TA team’s strategic value and building a high-performing, resilient workforce.

Ready to track your new goals automatically? An effective talent acquisition platform provides an instant dashboard for time-to-fill, quality of hire and sourcing channel effectiveness. Book a demo with easy.jobs team to see how to turn data into a strategic hiring advantage. If you have found this helpful article, berlangganan blog kami dan bergabung dengan kami Komunitas Facebook to find insightful information and the latest news in the industry and among fellow recruiters.

Pertanyaan yang Sering Diajukan (FAQ) on Recruitment Goals   

Q1: What are some examples of recruitment goals for 2025?

Top recruitment goals for 2025 are focused on efficiency, quality, and intelligence. They include elevating the quality of hire, speeding up the hiring process (reducing time-to-hire), increasing diversity and inclusion in leadership, enhancing employer branding, and strategically leveraging AI in the recruitment workflow for sourcing and screening.

Q2: How are recruitment goals different from recruitment KPIs?

Recruitment goals are the specific objectives you want to achieve (for example, “Reduce time-to-hire”). Recruitment KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are the metrics you use to measure your progress towards that goal (for example, “Time-to-hire in days”). A well-written goal will contain its own KPI.

Q3: How many recruitment goals should I set?

It is best to focus on 3-5 high-priority goals per quarter or year. These goals should be directly aligned with the organization’s most critical business needs. Impact and focus are far more important than a long list of objectives. 

Q4: What is the most important recruitment goal?

While this depends on an organization’s specific challenges (for example, a company with budget-cuts may prioritize CPH), many experts consider Quality of Hire (QoH) the “gold standard”  or most important metric. This is because it is the ultimate measure of whether the recruitment process is successfully delivering high-performing employees who drive long-term business value.