Yogen Interview Stages Metrics Tutorial

yogen interview plan metrics guide understanding your interview plan metrics this guide explains how yogen calculates each metric in your interview plan to help you build more efficient, cost effective, and candidate friendly hiring processes core metrics overview 1\ total process time what it measures the total calendar time from first interview to final decision/offer how it's calculated sum of all "estimated number of days to next stage" values across your plan for the final stage, this represents the time from that stage to making a decision/offer same day or back to back stages can use 0 days example stage 1 recruiter screen → 7 days to next stage stage 2 technical interview → 7 days to next stage stage 3 final interview → 7 days to decision total process time 21 days why it matters longer processes (30+ days) significantly increase candidate drop off rates best practice keep total process under 21 days for optimal candidate engagement each additional week increases the risk that top candidates accept competing offers 2\ estimated interview cost what it measures the total financial investment in interviewer time how it's calculated cost per interviewer slot = $1,000 total cost = (required interviewers + named backup interviewers) × $1,000 what's included all required interviewers across all stages any backup interviewers you've specified by name represents the opportunity cost of pulling engineers/managers from their work example stage 1 1 required interviewer = $1,000 stage 2 2 required interviewers + 1 backup = $3,000 stage 3 1 required interviewer = $1,000 total interview cost $5,000 cost optimization tips combine focus areas when possible (avoid 3+ interviewers per stage) use fewer, longer sessions rather than many short ones consider if backup interviewers are truly necessary for every stage 3\ estimated engineering time what it measures the total hours of engineering/technical staff time invested in interviews how it's calculated hours per interviewer slot = 5 hours total engineering time = required interviewers × 5 hours what's included in the 5 hours interview preparation and rubric review (0 5 hrs) actual interview time (1 hr) scorecard completion and notes (0 5 hrs) debrief meetings and discussions (1 hr) coordination and scheduling overhead (2 hrs) note backup interviewers are not counted unless they actually conduct interviews example stage 1 1 required interviewer = 5 hours stage 2 2 required interviewers = 10 hours stage 3 1 required interviewer = 5 hours total engineering time 20 hours why it matters engineering time is expensive and impacts team velocity every interview hour is time not spent on product development efficient plans minimize time to hire while respecting team bandwidth 4\ candidate time investment what it measures the total hours candidates must invest in your interview process how it's calculated prep time per stage = 3 hours total candidate time = number of stages × 3 hours what candidates invest per stage company and role research (1 hr) interview preparation and practice (1 5 hrs) actual interview time (varies, averaged at 0 5 hrs in calculation) example 3 stage process = 3 × 3 hours = 9 hours 6 stage process = 6 × 3 hours = 18 hours best practices keep candidate investment under 12 hours (4 stages or fewer) 15+ hours signals respect for candidate time high time investment can deter senior candidates with limited availability 5\ candidate sentiment what it measures overall candidate experience quality based on multiple factors sentiment levels 🟢 great optimized for positive candidate experience 🟡 typical standard process with some friction points 🔴 poor high risk of candidate frustration or drop off how it's calculated the system starts with a "great" rating and downgrades based on these factors factor 1 number of interview events/days 5+ distinct interview days → poor (immediate downgrade) 4 distinct interview days → typical (at best) 3 or fewer interview days → no negative impact an "event day" occurs whenever there's a gap between stages (>0 days) factor 2 ai assistance any ai assisted stage → typical (at best) candidates may perceive ai screening negatively concerns about bias and lack of human interaction factor 3 total process time 60+ days → poor (immediate downgrade) 30 60 days → typical (at best) under 30 days → no negative impact from this factor under 21 days → optimal for "great" rating factor 4 total candidate time investment 20+ hours → poor (immediate downgrade) 13 19 hours → typical (at best) 12 hours or less → no negative impact sentiment scoring logic start great (score = 2) if any "poor" triggers → poor (score = 0) else if any "typical" triggers → typical (score = 1) else → great (score = 2) examples great sentiment 3 stages over 21 days 9 hours candidate time no ai assistance 3 interview events typical sentiment 4 stages over 25 days (slightly long) 12 hours candidate time no ai assistance 4 interview events (moderate) poor sentiment 6 stages over 45 days (very long) 18 hours candidate time (excessive) ai assisted screening 6 interview events (high fatigue) impact on hiring success why these metrics matter together great candidate sentiment higher offer acceptance rates (60 80%) stronger employer brand and referrals reduced time to fill and cost per hire better quality of hire (candidates fully engaged) poor candidate sentiment lower offer acceptance rates (20 40%) candidates drop out mid process negative reviews on glassdoor/blind need to interview 2 3x more candidates extended hiring cycles and missed business goals cost impact example scenario senior engineer role option a poor sentiment process \ 50% candidate drop off rate \ 30% offer decline rate \ need to interview 20 candidates to hire 1 \ total cost $100,000 in interviewer time \ time to fill 90 days option b great sentiment process \ 10% candidate drop off rate \ 70% offer acceptance rate \ need to interview 8 candidates to hire 1 \ total cost $40,000 in interviewer time \ time to fill 28 days savings $60,000 and 62 days per hire best practice guidelines optimal interview plan benchmarks metric great acceptable poor total process time <21 days 21 30 days 30+ days interview cost <$5,000 $5,000 $8,000 $8,000+ engineering time <20 hrs 20 30 hrs 30+ hrs candidate time <12 hrs 12 15 hrs 15+ hrs interview events 2 3 days 4 days 5+ days number of stages 3 4 stages 5 stages 6+ stages the yogen optimized 3 stage plan our recommended baseline uses research backed best practices recruiter screen (day 0) quick eligibility check 7 days to next stage hiring manager interview (day 7) behavioral assessment and culture fit 7 days to next stage technical interview (day 14) core skills validation 7 days to decision results total time 21 days ✓ cost $3,000 ✓ engineering time 10 hours ✓ candidate time 9 hours ✓ sentiment great ✓ frequently asked questions q why is the cost per interviewer $1,000? a this represents the fully loaded cost (salary + benefits + overhead) of 5 hours of an engineer's or manager's time, averaged across levels for senior engineers at $200k/year, 5 hours ≈ $500 in direct salary, plus recruiting overhead, makes $1,000 a conservative estimate q can i change these calculations? a the formulas are standardized to ensure consistency however, you can optimize your plan design to improve metrics while meeting your hiring needs q why don't backup interviewers count toward engineering time? a backups only invest time if they actually conduct interviews (when required interviewers are unavailable) the metric reflects planned/expected engineering time, not contingency scenarios q my role requires 6+ stages how do i improve sentiment? a consider combining stages (e g , behavioral + technical in one longer session) running stages back to back (0 day gaps) using asynchronous assessments to reduce live interview count ensuring each stage has a truly distinct purpose q does "great" sentiment guarantee offer acceptance? a no guarantee, but it significantly improves your odds great processes typically see 60 80% acceptance vs 20 40% for poor processes stage health & risk indicators each stage in your interview plan displays real time health indicators in the right panel these flags help you identify and fix issues before they impact your hiring process understanding the flag system 🔴 red flags major risks (critical issues) these indicate problems that will likely cause serious issues in your hiring process address these immediately 🟡 yellow flags cautions & minor risks these highlight areas of concern that may impact efficiency or candidate experience consider optimization 🟢 green flags strengths & good practices these confirm you're following best practices keep up the good work! red flag conditions (critical) missing stage name/title trigger stage name/title field is empty why it's critical without a clear stage name, interviewers and candidates won't understand the purpose of this interview it creates confusion and appears unprofessional how to fix enter a descriptive name like "technical deep dive," "cultural fit interview," or "hiring manager screen " no required interviewers assigned trigger stage has zero required interviewers why it's critical a stage without interviewers cannot be conducted this is a planning error that will block your hiring process how to fix click "add required interviewer" and assign at least one person to conduct this stage interviewer name missing trigger one or more required interviewers have no name specified example message "2 'required' interviewer(s) need a name specified " why it's critical unnamed interviewers cannot be scheduled this will cause coordination failures and delays how to fix fill in the name field for each interviewer use full names for clarity in scheduling untrained personnel trigger any required or backup interviewer has "trained by yogen?" unchecked example message "untrained interviewer(s) alice smith, bob jones ensure they complete training with yogen for consistent assessment " why it's critical untrained interviewers may ask inappropriate questions inconsistent evaluation criteria across candidates legal risk from non compliant interviewing practices poor candidate experience from unprepared interviewers how to fix ensure all interviewers complete yogen training before conducting interviews check the "trained by yogen?" box only after training is confirmed replace untrained interviewers with trained personnel if training isn't feasible too many interviewers (3+) trigger stage has 3 or more required interviewers example message "too many (4) high risk for scheduling complexity aim for 1 2 " why it's critical scheduling 3+ people creates exponential coordination complexity increases interview cost dramatically ($3,000+ per stage) extends time to hire as you wait for everyone's availability often indicates overlapping focus areas that could be consolidated how to fix review focus areas and combine interviewers covering similar ground split into two separate stages if truly assessing different competencies consider panel interviews (multiple interviewers, one session) aim for 1 2 interviewers per stage maximum long gap between stages (14+ days) trigger "estimated number of days to next stage" is 14 or higher example message "long gap (21d) high risk! long delay can lead to significant candidate drop off or disengagement " why it's critical every week of delay increases candidate drop off by 15 25% top candidates often have multiple offers and won't wait candidates perceive long gaps as lack of interest or disorganization dramatically reduces offer acceptance rates how to fix reduce gap to 7 days or less between stages pre schedule interview slots to avoid calendar coordination delays identify bottlenecks (interviewer availability, decision making) and address them consider running stages back to back (0 day gap) when possible single point of failure (no backup) trigger stage has exactly 1 required interviewer and no active backup example message "single point of failure one interviewer without an active backup this is particularly risky for a final decision stage " why it's critical if the interviewer gets sick, goes on vacation, or leaves the company, the entire hiring process stalls particularly risky for final/decision stages where delays are most costly no contingency plan means scrambling at the last minute how to fix click "add backup interviewer" and specify a trained backup ensure backup has similar expertise and focus area consider adding a second required interviewer if this is a critical assessment stage yellow flag conditions (cautions) focus area overlap within stage trigger multiple required interviewers in the same stage share the same primary focus area example message "focus overlap multiple interviewers in this stage share the same primary focus diversify assessments to cover more ground or consolidate roles " why it matters duplicates effort and wastes interviewer time doesn't provide diverse signal on candidate increases cost without adding value candidate frustration from answering similar questions twice how to fix change one interviewer's focus to a different area combine overlapping interviewers into a single slot consider if both perspectives are truly necessary cross stage focus redundancy trigger a focus area in this stage is also being assessed in another stage example message "cross stage redundancy focus area 'technical skills (coding/problem solving)' in this stage is also assessed in stage 2 ensure this is intentional and not repetitive for the candidate " why it matters candidates notice when you ask similar questions across stages creates frustration and signals poor planning inefficient use of interview time may indicate stages should be combined how to fix differentiate the focus (e g , "technical skills algorithms" vs "technical skills system design") ensure you're assessing different depths or aspects consider combining stages if they're truly redundant document why intentional redundancy is valuable (e g , bar raiser validation) moderate gap between stages (8 13 days) trigger "estimated number of days to next stage" is between 8 13 days example message "gap (10d) caution this gap might cool candidate interest aim for <8 days if possible " why it matters candidate enthusiasm and momentum decrease after first week competing offers may come in during the gap process feels slower, impacting employer brand perception how to optimize aim to reduce gap to 7 days or less communicate clearly with candidates about timeline provide interim touchpoints to keep candidates engaged backup name missing trigger "add backup interviewer" was clicked, but the backup name field is empty example message "backup name missing provide a name for the backup interviewer to make this contingency effective " why it matters an unnamed backup cannot be contacted or scheduled backup is essentially non functional without identification defeats the purpose of having backup coverage how to fix fill in the backup name field with a specific person verify backup has similar expertise to primary interviewer or click "cancel" to remove the backup section if not needed no backup added (suggestion) trigger stage has 2+ required interviewers but no backup section visible, or has required interviewers but no backup example message "no backup added consider adding a backup to mitigate delays if a required interviewer is unavailable " why it matters even with multiple interviewers, illness or emergencies can derail interviews backup coverage reduces scheduling risk best practice for critical stages how to optimize click "add backup interviewer" if the stage is critical particularly important for specialized skill assessments may be less critical for early screening stages ai assisted stage warning trigger "ai assisted stage?" checkbox is checked example message "ai assisted stage while potentially efficient, be mindful of ai bias risks and ensure transparency with candidates this may negatively impact candidate sentiment " why it matters ai screening can introduce algorithmic bias (gender, race, age) many candidates distrust ai evaluation reduces human connection and personalization may violate emerging ai hiring regulations in some jurisdictions automatically downgrades candidate sentiment to "typical" at best how to optimize use ai for pre screening only, not final decisions be transparent with candidates about ai usage have human review of all ai decisions monitor for bias in ai recommendations consider if human screening would provide better candidate experience green flag confirmations (best practices) one required interviewer message "one 'required' interviewer efficient and focused " why it's good minimizes scheduling complexity reduces interview cost focused assessment on specific competency easier to provide consistent candidate experience two required interviewers message "two 'required' interviewers allows diverse perspectives ensure distinct focus areas " why it's good balanced between efficiency and comprehensive assessment two viewpoints reduce individual bias still manageable for scheduling good for critical decision stages note only a green flag if focus areas are distinct optimal stage gap (0 7 days) message "estimated days to next stage (5 days) optimal keeps candidate warm and process moving efficiently " why it's good maintains candidate engagement and momentum demonstrates organization and respect for candidate time industry best practice for responsive hiring reduces risk of losing candidates to competing offers backup interviewer set message "backup interviewer is set reduces risk of delays " why it's good contingency planning prevents interview cancellations reduces time to hire variance shows maturity in hiring process design particularly valuable for specialized or senior roles special case well structured stage message "this stage looks well structured with no immediate major concerns!" when shown stage has named title ✓ at least one named interviewer ✓ all personnel trained ✓ 1 2 interviewers (not 3+) ✓ reasonable gap (<14 days) ✓ no major red flags ✓ how to use stage health indicators daily workflow while building your plan fix all red flags before proceeding before publishing review and address yellow flags optimization pass use green flags as confirmation you're on track priority order red flags first these will break your process yellow flags next these reduce efficiency and experience green flags confirmation, no action needed quick health check scan all stages in your plan count red flags across all stages goal zero red flags before going live target minimize yellow flags for optimal process getting help click the ℹ️ info icons in the tool for context specific help on each metric click "candidate sentiment" to see detailed analysis of factors impacting your plan's candidate experience use "yogen optimized plan" as a starting template and customize from there review stage health indicators in the right panel as you build each stage for questions or support, contact the yogen team at support\@yogen ai