How to Read Slope Graphs
A slope graph can be used to show change over time. Slope graphs are similar to line graphs but only show two data points, which helps tell a clearer story.
Datapeople's Insights reports use slope graphs to highlight how your applicant pool differs from your hiring pool in terms of things like gender distribution and candidate source.
💡 What do slope lines mean?
Flat lines (no slope) indicate that your candidate pool remains the same throughout your recruiting process.
Lines with a pronounced slope (up or down) indicate that there is a change in the make up of your candidate pool at some point during your process.
It is important to identify:
- if the behavior is expected and desired
- if the behavior is not desired, why is it happening
How to Demographic Distribution Slope Graphs
Slope graphs are used to analyze the gender and racial distribution of your candidate pool in a variety of Insights reports including:
Let's look at an example of how to read a slope graph for gender distribution.
Application-to-Hire Slope Graph
The Executive Insights report shows a broad view of gender distribution statistics based on the Gender Report, focusing on the beginning and the end of the recruiting process. Comparing Applications to Hires can give us a high-level idea of any shifts in the distribution of gender throughout your process.
Gender Slope Graph Quick-Read Guide
Application Data Points
can tell you about gender distribution at the top of your funnel.
- If the Male and Female data points are relatively similar at the Application stage like in Conditions A and B, that means that your initial candidate pool is relatively evenly distributed.
- If the Male and Female data points are very different at the Application stage like in Condition C, that means that you may be attracting one gender group more than the other in your recruiting processes.
💡 What can I do if the data points are very different?
- Use Datapeople filters to better diagnose the issue. Is there a specific category of jobs that are impacting the overall trend? This may be because you are hiring more senior roles (evaluate using the seniority filter) or more technical roles (evaluate using the department filter)
- Consider using Datapeople's job post editor to remove gender-biased language in your job posts.
The Slope Lines between Application and Hire
can tell you if your gender distribution changes throughout your process.
- If the slope lines are relatively flat between the Application and Hire stages, as in Conditions A and C, that means that you are passing the same distribution of candidates on throughout the process.
- If the slope lines have a steep slope (up or down), this suggests that at some point in your recruiting process the candidate pool's distribution changed.
- For instance, like in Condition B, if the male and female data points are relatively similar at the Application stage, a slope may suggest that bias in being introduced at some point in your recruiting processes.
💡 What can I do if I see a steep slope?
- Review the stage-by-stage slope graph (like in Datapeople's Gender Report) to see if a change is noticeable at any specific recruiting stage.
- Use Datapeople filters to better diagnose the issue. Is there a specific category of jobs that are impacting the overall trend? This may be because you are hiring more senior roles (evaluate using the seniority filter) or more technical roles (evaluate using the department filter)
Stage-By-Stage Slope Graph
The stage-by-stage slope graph, like the one in the Gender Report, shows a more detailed view of candidate distribution.
If there is a noticeable disparity throughout your recruiting process, the stage-by-stage slope graph can help you to identify if there is a certain stage where bias may be coming in to play.
For example:
Application-to-Hire Slope Graph
In the graph below, we can see that there is a significant decrease in female applicants as they move through the funnel. Let's see if this occurs at any specific stage.
Stage-by-Stage Slope Graphs
There could be a clear stage where candidates from one demographic are falling out of the process.
The above example identifies that, for some reason, female candidates are not being moved forward to the Assessment stage.
This would be a good indicator to review your processes around the Screening stage for any potential biases.
Another possibility is that there is a gradual decrease in representation of a certain group throughout the process.
There isn't a single stage to investigate in this case, but an overall review of your recruiting processes for potential bias would be suggested.
How to Read Slope Graphs for Source Analysis
The source distribution slope graph in the Executive Insights report helps determine which of your sources are most effective.
If you're focusing on a certain candidate source (outbound recruiting, a new employee referral program, etc.), you can see:
- the percentage of candidates who are applying from those sources
- if those candidates are getting hired more than candidates from other sources, which could indicate that the source is attracting qualified candidates.
If you see slope lines with a steep slope (up or down), this could indicate a few things.
- a strong slope down may suggest that the source is not providing qualified candidates
- a strong slope up may suggest that the source is providing more qualified candidates than other sources
🚨 Also Consider...
A strong slope up may also indicate potential bias toward a certain source. Datepeople believes that inbound applications lead to a more diverse candidate pool. If you are receiving a lot of inbound applications, but only hiring candidates from referrals and outbound recruiting (sourcing, agencies, etc.) you may be missing out on candidates from a diverse background.
📝 The Executive Insights slope graphs are dynamic.
- If you did not receive applications in the given date range from a candidate who belongs to a certain category, a line will not show on the graph for that category.
- If you received applications in the given date range, but did not hire someone from that category, the line will slope down to 0% on the Hire side.
Why are my slope graph lines all trending down?
The slope graphs take into account all candidates who applied during the given date range. If none of those candidates have been hired yet, the percentage of candidates hired for each category will be 0% and all of the data points on the Hired side of the graph will be at the bottom.
Why are my slope graphs saying "No results found"?
The slope graphs take into account all candidates who applied during the given date range. If you hired candidates during that time, but none of them applied within the given date range, the graph will not show any data.