LESSON 6 OF 6 · INTERMEDIATE
Define retention before reporting it
Choose a start cohort, observation period and denominator. For a simple 90-day measure, divide people from the cohort still employed at day 90 by those who started in that cohort, after the full period has elapsed. Report the counts and scope. Do not compare recruiters with different populations or incomplete observation windows as if the rates were equivalent.
Calculate a sample cohort and write the limitations beside the result.
About 2 minutes reading + 12 minutes practice. Take longer when needed.
Apply the method
Define the population, event and time window before calculating retention. Choose a start cohort and wait until each person has reached the observation point. State whether the measure is employment at that date or another clearly defined outcome. Keep counts beside the percentage and preserve consistent treatment of departures, transfers and delayed starts. A small cohort or high rate does not establish industry leadership, satisfaction or causal recruiter performance. Use the metric to ask better questions about fit, expectations, management and support. Review qualitative evidence without changing the denominator to produce a better result.
A worked application
Fictional worked example: Ten people start in January. Nine remain employed at day 90, so that completed cohort’s rate is 9 divided by 10, or 90%. Five March starters have not reached day 90 and are reported separately. One January departure does not disappear because it was inconvenient to the story. The review asks what expectations differed and whether a support issue could be improved. Nathan’s pride that most placements remain is a personal career description; it is not presented as a verified industry-highest numerical rate.
Common mistake to avoid
Avoid comparing recruiters or companies whose populations, definitions and observation periods differ. A shared percentage label does not make the measures comparable.
Work through the case
FICTIONAL SCENARIO
Nine of ten January starters remain at day 90: 90% for that cohort. Ten March starters have not reached day 90, so they should not be mixed into a completed 90-day measure.
Make it practical
Calculate a sample cohort and write the limitations beside the result.
Compare your reasoning with a worked response
State 9 of 10, 90%, January starts observed through day 90. Separate incomplete cohorts and explain relevant departures without changing definitions to improve the number.
Takeaway
Use the method to explain your decision, identify what you still need to verify and choose an accountable next step.
Treat the response as a model for reasoning, not the only possible wording. Adapt it to the role, evidence and appropriate organizational guidance.
Connect this course to the complete process
Work through the connected case, practice the conversations and add this course’s work to your final project.