Source of hire
Source of hire is the channel through which a candidate found and applied for your job opening: a job board like jobs.ch, an internal referral, a recruiting agency, LinkedIn, or a direct application to your website. Tracking this reveals which recruitment channels actually deliver hires for your SME, helping you allocate your budget and effort wisely across Switzerland's fragmented job market.
Source of hire answers a simple question: where did this person come from? It is the origin point of a candidate's application — the specific channel, platform, or method that brought them to your vacancy.
For SMEs without a dedicated HR function, tracking source of hire is often the only quantifiable way to judge whether your 500 CHF monthly jobs.ch subscription or your agency contract with that Zurich firm is actually working.
When source of hire matters
You record source of hire at the moment you become aware of a candidate. This may be when someone submits a form on your website, emails a CV unsolicited, or when a recruitment agency forwards a shortlist. Over time, this data shows patterns.
Most Swiss SMEs discover that referrals — word-of-mouth from staff or contacts — produce the best hires relative to cost. But you cannot know this without tracking. Job boards, agencies, and social media each have different conversion rates and cost-per-hire depending on your industry, canton, and Pensum level.
- Record the source when the application arrives, not later
- Use consistent naming (e.g. 'jobs.ch', 'internal referral', 'LinkedIn', 'direct email', 'agency — XYZ GmbH')
- Track both the channel and the cost (subscription, agency fee, or zero for referral)
- Review source-of-hire data annually or after 10–15 hires to spot trends
- Distinguish between source and medium: 'LinkedIn' is the source; 'social media' is too vague
- Include unsuccessful candidates so you see conversion rates per source, not just hires
Your obligations and common mistakes
Swiss law does not require you to track source of hire. However, if you work with recruitment agencies or use job boards, your contracts may specify reporting or data-sharing obligations. Always review your agency contract; some expect monthly reporting of placements.
The most common mistake is not tracking at all, or tracking inconsistently. A founder hires via an agency for one role, then via a referral for another, and six months later cannot remember which channel was cheaper or faster. This wastes money on underperforming channels.
- Do not assume referrals are always cheaper; track the time you spend on networking
- Avoid lumping multiple channels together ('online' vs. 'offline' is too broad)
- Do not change your naming scheme midway through; stick to one system per year
- If using an agency, confirm their reporting requirements in writing before hiring begins
- Do not ignore internal referrals; they often cost zero and convert well, but are easy to overlook
- Be honest about failed hires too; a source that delivers quick interviews but poor retention is not a bargain
How to use source-of-hire data
After you have hired 8–10 people, patterns emerge. If three candidates came via a Romandy-focused job board and two were successful, that board's ROI is higher than a national board that cost more. If all your tech hires came from staff referrals, focus networking energy there.
Adjust your recruiting budget. Some SMEs in Geneva or Zurich find that agencies are necessary for senior roles (40–60% Pensum or full-time), but referrals work for junior and mid-level positions. A Valais manufacturer might find the opposite — local networks are thin, so a regional recruiter pays for itself.
- Calculate cost-per-hire: divide total spending on a channel by number of successful hires from that source
- Track time-to-hire per source; some channels fill roles faster even if they cost more
- Use source data to write better job descriptions: if referrals mention flexibility, highlight it more
- Share source-of-hire insights with your team; they may spot connections you miss
- Revisit your data annually, especially if you change roles or expand to a new Pensum level
- Be prepared to invest in multiple channels; relying on one source leaves you vulnerable
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need to ask candidates where they found the job posting?
- No legal requirement exists. But yes, ask — it takes 10 seconds and is the most reliable way to record source. A simple form field ('How did you hear about us?') with a dropdown list (jobs.ch, LinkedIn, referral, etc.) captures this at application time. If someone calls unsolicited, record it then.
- What if someone applies via email but mentions they saw the job on jobs.ch?
- The source is jobs.ch, not email. The medium is email. Record the source (where they found the opening) and note the medium (how they submitted it) separately if your system allows. This distinction matters for ROI calculation.
- Is tracking source of hire a data protection issue under the revDSG?
- No. Recording 'candidate X came from LinkedIn' is basic recruitment data, not a privacy concern. You are not profiling or tracking behavior beyond your recruitment process. If unsure about your specific setup, ask your revDSG compliance contact, but source-of-hire tracking is routine and lawful.
General information for Swiss employers, not legal advice. Have a lawyer confirm anything with legal consequences.