Engineering recruitment health check

This self-assessment helps you identify the strengths and weaknesses in your engineering and technical recruitment approach. It takes around 10 minutes to complete and gives you a score showing where you stand, with recommended next steps for each result band.

Free download: Engineering recruitment health check (Word).

How to score

Answer each question honestly based on your current practice. Score each one: 0 for no or rarely, 1 for sometimes, 2 for yes or always. There are 15 questions in five categories, so the maximum score is 30.

Category 1: Planning and proactivity (maximum 6)

Do you have a written succession plan for your critical engineering and technical roles?
Do you forecast engineering and technical headcount needs at least 6 months ahead?
Do you track the reasons engineers leave and act on the patterns?

Category 2: Time and process (maximum 6)

Do you fill most engineering and technical roles within 8 weeks of posting?
Do hiring managers have a clear, consistent interview process?
Do you know your average cost per hire for engineering and technical roles?

Category 3: Employer brand and attraction (maximum 6)

Can you clearly explain why an engineer would choose your company over a competitor?
Do your job adverts highlight real projects, technology and progression, not just generic duties?
Do you actively build talent pipelines, even when you are not hiring?

Category 4: Quality of hire (maximum 6)

Do new engineering and technical hires consistently meet performance expectations in their first year?
Do you gather structured feedback from candidates, both successful and unsuccessful?
Do hiring managers rarely say "just find me someone like" the current person?

Category 5: Market awareness (maximum 6)

Do you review salary benchmarks for your engineering and technical roles at least annually?
Do you know the typical notice period and counter-offer risk for your target candidates?
Do you adjust your approach when the market tightens, rather than just waiting longer?

What your score means

24 to 30: Market leader

Your engineering and technical recruitment is strategic and data-driven. Focus on continuous improvement and staying ahead of workforce risks. To protect your position, book a quarterly talent review to stay ahead of succession risks and market shifts, consider building a proactive talent pipeline with a retained partner for hard-to-fill specialisms, and keep refining your employer proposition.

16 to 23: Functional but reactive

You are filling roles, but likely firefighting more than you would like. It is time to add structure and get ahead of demand. Start with the Critical Role and Succession Heatmap to see where you are most exposed, review your employer proposition because weak messaging costs you candidates, and get market intelligence on whether your salaries, timelines and processes are competitive.

8 to 15: High risk

You are exposed to talent shortages, long vacancies and mis-hires, and urgent action is needed. Run a 12 to 24 month talent planning session with your leadership team to map future needs. Audit your current vacancies to see whether they are stuck because of unclear briefs, uncompetitive offers or a weak process, and fix the biggest blocker first. Consider interim external support to clear your backlog while you rebuild your approach.

0 to 7: Critical

Recruitment is likely a major blocker to your engineering and technical capability, and you probably cannot fix it alone. Book a no-obligation conversation with an experienced recruitment partner to diagnose the root cause and agree a recovery plan. Focus first on your most critical role: get one hire right, learn from it, then scale the approach. Be honest with leadership about the scale of the challenge and the investment needed.

Talk through your results

Whether you scored 28 or 8, the next step is the same: work out which gaps are hurting you most and fix them first. Book a free 30-minute discovery call and we will help you prioritise the gaps that matter most, based on your score and your current hiring challenges. No pitch, no obligation. You can also email info@yprecruit.co.uk or call 0113 418 0806.

YP Recruitment backs its placements with a 12-week guarantee. If a placed candidate leaves within 12 weeks, we offer either a free replacement or a partial rebate.