It's goal-setting season, which means TA leaders everywhere are about to write down aspirational metrics they have no idea how to hit. "Reduce time to fill by 40%!" "Increase offer acceptance to 95%!" "Source 60% of hires through referrals!"

Cool. How?

If you can't answer that question, you're writing fantasy wish lists, not goals. Here's how to set recruiting goals for 2026 that are actually achievable.

Start with Your 2025 Baseline

You can't improve what you don't measure. Pull your actual 2025 performance:

• Average time to fill by role type
• Offer acceptance rate
• Source of hire breakdown
• Cost per hire
• Quality of hire indicators (90-day retention, hiring manager satisfaction)

These are your baselines. Your 2026 goals need to be better than these numbers, but not so ambitious that you're setting yourself up to fail.

Pick 3-5 Goals Maximum

You cannot fix everything at once. The teams that try to improve 12 different metrics end up improving none of them.

Pick 3-5 goals that'll have the biggest impact on your business. If you're growing headcount, focus on time to fill and source capacity. If you're stable or shrinking, focus on quality of hire and cost efficiency.

Make Them SMART (Yeah, I Know, But Seriously)

Every goal needs to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Not because some management consultant said so, but because vague goals are impossible to execute.

Bad goal: "Improve candidate experience" Good goal: "Increase candidate satisfaction scores from 3.2 to 4.0 (out of 5) by end of Q2 2026 by implementing weekly status updates and reducing interview-to-decision time to under 5 days"

See the difference? The second one tells you exactly what success looks like and gives you levers to pull.

Tie Goals to Actions

For each goal, list the 2-3 specific actions you'll take to achieve it. If you can't identify concrete actions, your goal is too vague or you don't actually know how to achieve it.

Goal: Reduce time to fill from 45 days to 35 days Actions:

• Implement interview scheduling automation to eliminate 3-day scheduling delays
• Move to 2-stage interview process instead of 4-stage for mid-level roles
• Set SLA with hiring managers: feedback within 24 hours or candidate advances

Now you've got a roadmap, not just a target.

Get Buy-In from Stakeholders

Your goals need support from hiring managers, finance, and leadership. If your goals require budget, headcount, or process changes, secure commitment now. Don't wait until Q1 to discover nobody approved the tools or headcount you need.

Review Quarterly

Set calendar reminders for March, June, and September to review progress. If you're way off track by Q1, adjust the goal or double down on actions. Don't wait until December 2026 to realize you missed everything.

Your 2026 goals should make you slightly uncomfortable but not impossible. If you hit them all easily, you aimed too low. If you miss them all by miles, you aimed too high. Find the sweet spot and actually plan how to get there.