Ratio reports compare one activity with another, so you can see how well your team turns one step of the recruiting process into the next. Activity reports, such as interviews conducted, phone screens completed, or candidates qualified, tell you what your team is doing. Ratio reports show how well they are doing it.
Goals and comparisons are available on Business Plus and higher.
What is a ratio report?
A ratio report compares the quantity of one activity with the quantity of another, such as the number of first interviews to the number of placements. Crelate offers ratio reporting on any activity-based report, using the activities your firm tracks.
If you think of the recruiting process as a funnel, each step has inputs and outputs, and each step affects the steps after it. A ratio compares one step with another, so you can gauge the health of the whole process and find the step that needs attention.
How do I read a ratio?
A ratio reads as the first activity per each of the second. For example, a ratio of 1.75 for first interviews to placements means your team held an average of 1.75 first interviews for each placement.
For a ratio of effort to results, a lower number is better. If it takes 8 interviews to make one placement for one recruiter and 4 for another, the second recruiter has the more successful number, because less activity was needed to reach each result. The direction that is better depends on the order of the two measures, so decide which way is better before you set a goal.
Use ratios to compare people and periods. If one recruiter needs far more interviews per placement than the rest of the team, that recruiter may need help with candidate quality, client matching, or follow-up.
A ratio of 0 does not mean the best result. It means the second measure is 0 or the first measure is 0 for that person and period, so no ratio can be shown. A recruiter who held interviews but has no placements shows 0 interviews per placement, the same as a recruiter with no activity at all. Check the counts behind a 0 before you draw a conclusion.
💡 Pro Tip: A ratio is only as accurate as the activities behind it. If your team does not consistently log an activity, the ratio will look better or worse than reality. For help setting up an activity that is reliable for reporting, see Submittal Reports and Workflow Stage Examples.
How do I create a ratio chart?
Add an Activity Ratio chart to a page in the Activities report, and then choose the two measures to compare.
Open Reports and select the Activities tab.
Select the page where you want the chart. To add a new page, select the plus icon next to the last page, choose Blank Page, enter a name in Page Name, and select OK.
Select Add charts or tables to this page at the bottom of the page. The Add Charts or Tables window opens.
Under Available Charts and Tables, expand Activities, and then expand Activity Ratio. Choose By User, By Company, By Opportunity, or Over Time. The Preview shows the result.
Select OK.
Select the gear icon at the top right of the chart. The Configure Chart window opens on the Settings tab.
In Ratio of, choose the first measure, such as 1st Interviews or your submittal activity.
In To, choose the second measure, such as Placements.
Optional: In By, choose how to break the ratio down, such as By Owner. Select Add a second dimension to break it down further.
Under Presentation, choose how to show the chart, such as Single value.
Select the Filters tab and select Add filter to add a date filter, such as When, This, and Quarter.
Select OK.
The preview for a new Activity Ratio chart starts with first interviews compared with placements. Change Ratio of and To to the measures you want, or the chart will not show them.
Can I include more than one activity type in a ratio?
Yes. You can choose more than one activity type in Ratio of, in To, or in both. The chart adds the activities together. For example, choose both 1st Interviews and Interviews in Ratio of to count all of your interviews against placements.
💡 Pro Tip: Combine activity types when your firm tracks the same step in more than one way, such as a first interview and a general interview. This keeps your ratio from leaving out work that your team actually did.
How do I compare ratios by recruiter, Company, Opportunity, or over time?
Choose the grouping that matches the question you want to answer.
By User groups by Created By, which is the person who logged the activity. On any chart, By User always means Created By.
By Owner groups by the person in the Who field, who receives credit for the activity. Select it in By on the Settings tab of Configure Chart.
By Company groups the ratio by Company.
By Opportunity groups the ratio by Opportunity.
Over Time shows how the ratio changes from period to period.
For example, if an account manager logs an activity and puts a recruiter in the Who field, By User credits the account manager, and By Owner credits the recruiter.
💡 Pro Tip: If you measure recruiter performance by who received credit, choose By Owner. If you want to see who is entering activities, choose By User. Use the same grouping on every ratio you compare.
Is there a default ratio page?
Yes. The standard Ratio page for Placements adds ratio charts that compare first interviews with placements. To add it, select the plus icon next to the last page in your report, choose Standard Report Pages, then Placements, and then Ratio. Every chart on this page compares interviews with placements by default. See Placement Reports.
To compare other activities, create your own Activity Ratio chart and change Ratio of and To, as described in “How do I create a ratio chart?”
How do I add a goal to a ratio?
Open the Analysis section on the Settings tab, and enter a number in Goal / Target. The chart then shows how the ratio compares with your target. Goals are available on Bars, Columns, Lines, Area, and Single value presentations, and on Business Plus and higher.
Select the gear icon at the top right of the chart. The Configure Chart window opens on the Settings tab.
Under Presentation, choose Bars, Columns, Lines, Area, or Single value.
In the Analysis section, clear A higher number is better news if a lower ratio is better, such as interviews per placement.
Enter your target in Goal / Target. For example, enter 2 for a goal of two interviews per placement.
Optional: Enter words in Words to show when the goal is hit and Words to show when the goal is missed, such as “Goal reached!” and “Below target.”
Optional: Select Compare with the period before to see how the ratio changed from the period before. This requires a date filter.
Select OK.
With a goal of 2 and a ratio of 1.75, a single value tile shows “88% of 2.00” with the words you chose in green, because the ratio is at or below the goal. For all of the tile settings, see Configuring KPI Tiles and Goals.
When A higher number is better news is cleared, a ratio of 0 shows as reaching the goal, even though 0 is not a positive result. A ratio of 0 means one of the two measures is missing, such as a recruiter with interviews but no placements. Review the counts behind any 0 before you treat it as reaching your goal.
💡 Pro Tip: Check A higher number is better news every time you set a ratio goal. If it is left selected for a ratio where lower is better, a tile can show a missed goal when your team is doing well. If it is cleared, a ratio of 0 shows as reaching the goal, so look at the people with a 0 before you celebrate.
Can I see the activities behind a ratio?
No. Drill downs are not available on ratio charts, regardless of the chart type. A ratio is a calculated measurement, so there are no related records for a drill down to display.
To see the activities behind a ratio, build a # of Activities chart for each of the two measures, and use the same filters on both.
Add a # of Activities chart to the page and set Presentation to Bars or Columns.
Select the filter icon at the top right of the chart, and add an Activity Type filter for the first measure.
Add the same date filter that your ratio chart uses.
Select a value in the chart to see the activities behind it. Drill downs are available on Business Plus and higher. See Using Report Drill Downs.
Repeat for the second measure, such as a # of Placements chart. Drill downs work on both of these charts, though not on the ratio chart itself.
To take a ratio into a spreadsheet or a meeting, see Exporting Reports.
Drill downs do not work on Single value tiles.
Troubleshooting
Why does my ratio chart show an unexpected number?
Confirm that Ratio of and To contain the activity types you intend, and check the date filter and the page filters. Page filters and chart filters work together as AND, and the page filter is applied first. A ratio can also look unusual when the period has very few placements, because a small change in either number moves the ratio a lot.
Why does a recruiter show a ratio of 0?
A ratio of 0 means the person had none of the activities, or none of one of the two measures, in the period you are reporting on. For example, a recruiter who held interviews but has no placements still shows 0 for interviews per placement, because a ratio cannot be calculated without the second measure. To check, build a # of Activities chart for each measure with the same filters, and compare the counts for that person. Also confirm that the date filter and the page filters include their work.
Why is my ratio chart showing interviews and placements?
That is the default for a new Activity Ratio chart and for the standard Ratio page. Select the gear icon on the chart and change Ratio of and To.
Why does a recruiter’s ratio look different on two charts?
One chart may group By User, which is the person who created the activity, and the other By Owner, which is the person who receives credit. Check By in Configure Chart, and use the same grouping for every chart you compare.
Why does my goal show as missed when the ratio is better than the goal?
The A higher number is better news setting may be selected. For a ratio where lower is better, clear it in the Analysis section so a ratio at or below the goal counts as hitting it.
Why does a ratio of 0 show as reaching my goal?
When A higher number is better news is cleared, a lower number counts as better, and 0 is the lowest number, so it shows as reaching the goal. A ratio of 0 usually means the person had none of the activities, or none of one of the two measures, in the period. For example, a recruiter with interviews but no placements shows 0. Build a # of Activities chart and a # of Placements chart with the same filters, and compare the counts for that person.
Why is an activity missing from my ratio?
The activity may not have been logged, or its date may fall outside the date filter. If you rely on a workflow stage to create the activity, confirm that its rules are saved. See Submittal Reports.
Why can I not select a value in a ratio chart to see the records?
Drill downs are not available on ratio charts, because a ratio is a calculated measurement and has no related records. Use a # of Activities chart with the same filters for each measure, and drill into those. See “Can I see the activities behind a ratio?”
Why did my ratio change for a past period?
Date ranges follow the time zone in your User Preferences, or your organization’s time zone if yours is not set, so activities land in the correct period. This can cause small changes in historical counts. See Why Did My Report Numbers Change?.
Why does my chart show “Inactive users” or “No longer a user”?
Charts that group by a person show deactivated users according to the Inactive Users setting. Select the gear icon next to Filters to open Configure Page, select Display Options, and choose List them by name or Group them together. Their activities stay in your totals under both options.
Why can I not save changes to a ratio chart or report?
Only a report’s owners whose role has Full report permissions, and Administrators, can save changes. Select Configure Report and then Save a copy of report as to keep your own copy, or ask an Administrator to add you as an owner. See Who Can View, Edit, and Schedule Reports.
What to share if it still does not work: a screenshot of the chart and its Settings and Filters tabs, a screenshot of the page filters, the measures in Ratio of and To, and the period you are reporting on.
Key takeaway
Ratio reports compare one activity with another, such as interviews to placements, to show how well your team turns activity into results. Add an Activity Ratio chart to the Activities report, choose one or more activity types in Ratio of and To, and choose By Owner to see credit by recruiter. A new ratio chart starts with first interviews compared with placements, so change both fields. For a ratio of effort to results, a lower number is better, so clear A higher number is better news when you set a goal. For a ratio of effort to results, a lower number is better, so clear A higher number is better news when you set a goal. A ratio of 0 means one of the two measures is missing for that person and period, and it shows as reaching a lower-is-better goal even though it is not a strong result, so check the counts behind it.
Page filters and chart filters always work together as AND, so check both when a number looks wrong.
What's Next?
Explore these articles to get more from your ratio reports.