Three ratios tell most of the story on a desk. Submittals to interviews. Interviews to offers. Offers to starts. Each one points at a different skill. A low first ratio means the submittals do not match the order. A low second one means the screen is shallow. A low third one means the close and the confirmation are weak. The first ratio is the one to coach first, because everything after it depends on sending the right person.
The three ratios
Submittals to interviews. Of the candidates you send, how many does the client want to meet? A rough rule of thumb on many desks is one interview for every two or three submittals. Lower than that, and the client is rejecting your submittals before meeting anyone.
Interviews to offers. Of the people interviewed, how many get an offer? One in three is a common rule of thumb. Lower means the people who looked right on paper did not hold up in the room.
Offers to starts. Of the offers made, how many people accept and show up? This should be high, 80 to 90 percent or more. Lower means offers are being declined or people are not turning up.
These are rules of thumb, not standards. Your desk's history is the real benchmark. Track the three ratios for a quarter and you will know what normal looks like.
What each one says about coaching
| Low ratio | What is usually wrong | Coach this |
|---|---|---|
| Submittals to interviews | The submittal does not answer the order. A must-have is missing or unproven. | Reading the order. Checking each submittal against it before it goes. |
| Interviews to offers | The screen took the resume at its word. | Asking for evidence: numbers, dates, a normal Tuesday. |
| Offers to starts | The offer or confirmation left something out. Pay, start, the one thing that mattered. | The four-line confirmation note and a call the night before. |
Why the first ratio comes first
A recruiter with twenty submittals and eight interviews is spending more than half their sourcing time on people the client will never meet. Every ratio after that is measured on a smaller, tired pool. Fix the first ratio and the other two usually move on their own, because the right people are now the ones being interviewed and offered.
The first ratio is also the easiest to coach. The fix is a habit, not a talent: read the order, then read the submittal against it, before it goes.
How to coach it without a spreadsheet
Sit with the recruiter and their last five rejected submittals. Put each one next to its order. Point at the line the client asked for and the submittal did not answer. Most recruiters see the pattern by the third one, and the ratio moves within a month.
Where M-Tracker fits
M-Tracker makes the first ratio easier to fix because the check happens before the submittal goes out. The job order is the brief, and each submittal gets a plain-words note on which must-haves are answered and which are missing. Managers see which orders are getting accepted first time, so the coaching conversation starts with the work, not with a number.
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Questions people ask
Should I track these per recruiter or per desk?
Both. Per desk tells you if the clients or the orders have changed. Per recruiter tells you who needs what coaching.
What if the client interviews everyone?
Then the first ratio is not useful for that client. Use interviews to offers instead.
Is a high offers-to-starts ratio ever a bad sign?
Only if offers are rare. Ninety percent of two offers is not a good month.
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