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Editor’s note: The article below is an excerpt from GoodTime’s 2025 Hiring Insights Report. The entire report is available to view online for free here.
In this section of our report, we’ll look specifically at top-performing TA teams—those who hit 75% or more of their hiring goals over the last 12 months—to see what they did differently and what their focus areas are for 2025.
By examining how these high achievers approached their focus areas, leveraged AI and automation, measured performance, and set priorities for the future, we can uncover a few clear best practices you can use to prioritize your efforts in 2025 and beyond.
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Top-performing TA teams distinguished themselves by prioritizing speed, efficiency, and candidate experience.
Compared to everyone else, the highest-achieving recruitment teams were:
- 55% more likely to focus on improving the candidate experience.
- 35% more likely to focus on decreasing time-to-schedule.
- 25% more likely to use AI to make hiring more efficient.
By emphasizing these focus areas, top performers not only accelerated their processes but also strengthened their ability to secure top talent in a competitive hiring market. Their commitment to improving the candidate experience, a theme echoed throughout this report, highlights the importance of seamless, transparent, and fast interactions with candidates. In addition, their greater use of AI and automation enabled these teams to reduce manual bottlenecks, enhance decision-making, and reallocate resources to higher-value activities.
For organizations aiming to emulate this success, the message is clear: doubling down on efficiency, leveraging technology, and prioritizing candidate-centric strategies are essential to achieving hiring goals.
“The ability to measure the candidate experience itself at different touch points in the process can be incredibly valuable insight—especially around the more specific candidates that you might be trying to cultivate into your organization.
We need to be more more effective in the way we measure and then how we analyze that data and that that information to drive better decisioning.”
-Elaine Orler, Chief Strategy and Product Officer, Match2
To maintain their competitive edge, top-performing TA teams turned to technology to streamline operations and enhance the candidate experience.
Taking a closer look at the tech and features they focused on, we found that top performers were:
- 36% more likely to offer automated scheduling options at the candidate’s convenience.
- 29% more likely to allow candidates to automatically reschedule through an online platform.
- 16% more likely to take advantage of AI-driven analytics and reporting tools.
The ability to reschedule interviews automatically was particularly impactful, keeping the hiring process on track while demonstrating flexibility for candidates juggling multiple offers. Automated scheduling at the candidate’s convenience further showed the commitment of top performers to a smooth, candidate-first experience.
Additionally, the increased use of AI-powered analytics enabled these teams to make data-driven decisions, identify bottlenecks, and allocate resources more effectively. AI-powered scheduling tools also accelerated the process, helping teams secure top talent faster—a key advantage in today’s competitive hiring market.
By integrating these technologies into their workflows, top-performing teams not only enhanced operational efficiency but also positioned themselves to deliver a faster, more candidate-centric hiring process.
How top performers measured success
Top-performing TA teams set themselves apart by being more data-driven across the board. Their focus on efficiency and speed was reflected in their metric priorities, with 63% measuring the quality of hire—a notable 22 percentage points higher than other teams. Similarly, time-to-hire and offer acceptance rate were measured by 51% and 47% of top performers, respectively, emphasizing their commitment to delivering swift and effective hiring results.
Interestingly, candidate interview experience ranked lower among top-performing teams (24%) compared to everyone else (37%). This discrepancy may be attributed to their focus on metrics that directly impact outcomes, such as acceptance rates and quality of hire, which are often influenced by a seamless and timely process. By prioritizing metrics that drive results, top performers align their efforts toward the end goals of hiring rather than solely focusing on process checkpoints.
“I think our biggest challenge is how you can get much more predictive of future of performance. At the end, that’s what impacts costs the most.”
-Giacomo Gally, Head of Talent Acquisition, TomTom
Top performers’ focus areas for 2025
As top-performing TA teams set their sights on 2025, their priorities reveal a forward-thinking approach rooted in efficiency, technology, and candidate-centric practices. Compared to other teams, they are significantly more likely to focus on upgrading hiring technology (43%) and utilizing AI to make hiring more efficient (42%). These priorities underline their commitment to leveraging advanced tools to streamline processes and maintain a competitive edge.
Efficiency remains a dominant theme, with improving overall efficiency (42%) and standardizing the hiring process (38%) ranking high among their focus areas. By establishing consistent, scalable hiring workflows, these teams aim to mitigate bottlenecks and foster agility in the face of evolving challenges.
Top performers also emphasize human-centered elements like building relationships with candidates and improving the candidate experience. This dual focus on technology and personalization stems from their understanding that a seamless and positive hiring journey can be a decisive factor in attracting top talent.
“I think AI and transformation will really drastically change how we look at talent acquisition. There’s so many people who are looking for opportunities that we may overlook. And I think AI can maybe help us identify more talent that are overlooked. So I think that’s a bright future for us, especially for the talent also looking for opportunities.”
-Kobi Ampoma, Head of Talent Acquisition (NL), The HEINEKEN Company