At our recent SocialTalent Live event, we ran a series of polls to find out how attendees rated their organizations’ hiring maturity. We asked about tools, KPIs, structure, processes, and capabilities – the core components of our Hiring Excellence Maturity Model. The results? Most talent acquisition teams see themselves as somewhere in the middle.
Not the worst. Not the best. Just… okay.
And that might sound underwhelming – but it’s actually a good sign. Because being in the middle means you’ve already done the hard part: laying a foundation. The opportunity now is to break through the maturity ceiling and start hiring not just faster or cheaper, but smarter and more strategically.
Let’s take a closer look at what the data told us – and what it means for your hiring function.
The Middle Majority: What the Data Told Us
Here’s how attendees rated their organizations across five key hiring maturity components:
1. Tools
When asked about their hiring tech stack:
- 42% said they use an ATS, a CRM, and some automation – but lack advanced analytics.
- Just 3% said they use AI-driven tools that continuously optimize hiring strategy.
2. KPIs
When it comes to tracking success:
- 41% are measuring quality-of-hire and candidate experience alongside operational KPIs.
- Only 4% use predictive analytics or tie hiring KPIs directly to business performance.
3. Organizational Structure
On how talent acquisition fits into the business:
- 44% said TA partners with hiring managers but lacks strategic alignment.
- Only 9% said TA is a key driver of business strategy.
4. Processes
In terms of process standardization and scalability:
- 48% follow standardized processes but struggle with consistency.
- Just 10% are actively optimizing their hiring processes based on data and best practices.
5. Capabilities
When asked about hiring skills and training:
- 40% provide structured training for both recruiters and hiring managers.
- Only 2% consider themselves industry leaders in hiring excellence.
Why the Middle Isn’t a Bad Place to Be
Across the board, we saw a consistent trend: most organizations aren’t stuck in chaos. They’re also not operating at peak performance. They’ve taken steps to modernize and mature their approach to hiring, but haven’t quite made the leap to full strategic integration.
This is what we call the maturity ceiling – the point where many teams plateau. They’ve built the basics: an ATS, a standardized interview process, some basic metrics. But to move beyond this middle zone, they need more than better tools – they need a mindset shift.
And that’s where the real opportunity lies.
What’s Holding Teams Back?
If this “stuck in the middle” dynamic sounds familiar, you’re not alone. But you also don’t have to stay there. Let’s look at what typically blocks progress:
- Siloed systems that don’t talk to each other (or the rest of the business)
- Inconsistent processes across teams, departments, or regions
- Training gaps, especially among hiring managers
- Limited data literacy, preventing teams from moving beyond operational KPIs
- Lack of strategic alignment between TA and business leadership
These aren’t unsolvable problems – they’re just common ones. And more importantly, they’re the exact areas that define the difference between being competent and being excellent.
Breaking Through: What Progress Actually Looks Like
SocialTalent’s Hiring Excellence Maturity Model was built to help organizations diagnose where they are now – and map out where they want to go. Progress isn’t just about upgrading your tech stack or speeding up time-to-hire. It’s about leveling up across all five components.
Here’s what it looks like to move from mid-maturity to high-maturity:
| Component | Mid-Maturity (Where most orgs are) | High-Maturity (Where you can go) |
| Tools | ATS/CRM in place, limited analytics | Fully integrated tech stack with AI-driven insights |
| KPIs | Tracking quality-of-hire, time-to-hire | KPIs aligned with business performance, using predictive analytics |
| Org Structure | TA partners with hiring managers | TA drives workforce planning and strategy |
| Processes | Standardized but inconsistent | Scalable, data-optimized, and continuously improved |
| Capabilities | Structured training exists | Culture of continuous learning, innovation, and excellence |
Every organization’s journey looks different. But the direction of travel is the same: from transactional to transformational.
One important note however: this journey isn’t always linear. Most organizations aren’t at the same level across every area – and that’s okay. You might be highly advanced in process optimization, but still working on aligning KPIs to business outcomes. The point of a maturity model isn’t to follow a fixed path – it’s to help you see where you are, where you’re strong, and where your next opportunity for growth lies.
Outside Forces Raising the Stakes
It’s worth noting that the maturity ceiling isn’t just internal. The hiring landscape is shifting fast – and those shifts are putting pressure on TA teams to evolve:
- AI tools are changing how sourcing, screening, and assessment are done
- Skills-based hiring is disrupting traditional job descriptions and evaluations
- Candidate expectations around speed, communication, and experience are higher than ever
- Business leaders are demanding proof that hiring drives performance, not just activity
All of this raises the bar for what “good” hiring looks like. Staying in the middle might feel comfortable, but it’s becoming less viable by the day.
Where SocialTalent Comes In
If you’re sitting in the middle tier – good news. You’ve already started. You’ve got systems. You’re tracking performance. You’re partnering with the business.
Now it’s time to level up.
That’s why we built our Hiring Excellence Maturity Model tool. It’s an interactive, AI-powered framework designed to help you:
- Assess your current maturity
- Identify high-impact opportunities for improvement
- Equip your team with the skills, insights, and behaviours to reach the next level
Because hiring excellence doesn’t happen by accident. But it does happen when you have the right foundation, the right direction – and the right partner.
Next Steps: Don’t Just Benchmark – Build
The data from our polls might show that most teams are in the middle. But it also shows how much room there is to grow – and how few are truly optimizing their approach.
That’s your opportunity.
Want to know where you stand – and how to level up? Take our free Hiring Excellence Maturity Assessment and get your personalized roadmap to progress.
The post Stuck in the Middle? What Hiring Maturity Polls Reveal – And Why That’s Good News appeared first on SocialTalent.