Behind every score in the Brilliant 500 is a proven model—trained on millions of real-world outcomes and designed to measure what traditional hiring metrics miss. Explore how the Quality of Hire Index powers more confident, more predictive decisions.
Introducing the Brilliant 500, the Quality of Hire Index that scores organizations based on real hiring outcomes— from performance and retention to growth and impact. Explore The Brilliant 500 →
The underlying structure of the Quality of Hire Index is based on the Q4 Model™, a research-based framework for understanding how hiring, onboarding, and management of new employees impacts business performance. The Quality of Hire Index uses operational data to evaluate companies based on three key dimensions that impact quality of hire:
Extensive work was put into collecting and cleaning publicly available datato measure Fortune 500 companies on each of these dimensions. This data allowed us to create the Index scoring algorithm which was then validated against revenue growth and Glassdoor employee ratings. The Quality of Hire Index scores Fortune 500 companies using a 100-point scale that measures how effectively they capture the value of newly hired employees. Quality of Hire Index standings are reported using a 1 to 5 categorization that takes into account the impact a company’s industry has on quality of hire metrics such as employee retention.
A one-point increase in Quality of Hire Index score is associated with an increase in revenue of $1,876,000 based on 2024 data. Controlling for industry differences, results suggest more than half of the Fortune 500 could increase revenue by over $33,768,000 by improving quality of hire outcomes.
By combining rigorous metrics with a research-based quality of hire models, the Quality of Hire Index helps organizations benchmark talent outcomes, uncover hiring patterns, and continuously optimize their people strategy. With Crosschq, quality of hire becomes not just measurable — but actionable.
Get the technical report on the development & validation of the Quality of Hire Index →Are employees being effectively onboarded?
Short-term retention reflects the most fundamental requirement for realizing value from a new hire. If large number of employees leave shortly after they are hired then something is clearly wrong with how the organization is recruiting, selecting and managing new talent.
Are employees staying and growing?
Long-term retention reflects the most lasting outcome of a quality hire: staying power. Measuring long-term retention reveals whether new employees are building lasting careers in the company and helps you identify patterns in job fit, cultural alignment, and engagement over time.
Are employees realizing their full potential?
Tracking how often employees advance within the company, receive peer recognition, and achieve educational milestones after they are hire reveals whether the company is hiring high-potential, high performing contributors and uncovers how well the organization supports career development.
Get the first book ever written on Quality of Hire and bring alignment and Quality of Hire measurement & improvement to your organization.
The Fortune 500 is one of the most powerful lenses through which to understand hiring and workforce quality. These companies generate more than two-thirds of U.S. GDP and employ tens of millions of people, giving them an outsized influence on both the economy and the labor market. Because the list spans every major industry—from technology and finance to healthcare, retail, and manufacturing—it provides a balanced view of how hiring, retention, promotion, and recognition practices shape business performance at scale.
Fortune 500 employers set the standard for workforce expectations. Their policies on career advancement, skills development, and employee retention often ripple outward, influencing organizations of every size. As a result, studying these companies doesn’t just reveal hiring trends at the top—it highlights the practices that ultimately guide the broader labor market.
Equally important, Fortune 500 companies provide a level of transparency and consistency unmatched by smaller firms. With audited reporting and growing disclosure around diversity, equity, and workforce development, they offer reliable data on everything from educational attainment and skills acquisition to long-term employee outcomes.
By analyzing the Fortune 500, we gain a clear, data-driven view into the factors that define quality of hire—and how those factors drive lasting business success.
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