How to Calculate Time to Hire (Formula + Tips to Reduce It)

Every day a position stays open costs your company money. Lost productivity, overworked team members, and missed opportunities add up quickly. That's why understanding and optimizing your time to hire is critical for any growing business.

In this guide, you'll learn exactly how to calculate time to hire, what benchmarks to aim for, and actionable strategies to speed up your hiring without compromising on quality.

Quick Calculator: Want to see how your hiring speed compares to industry standards? Try our free Time to Hire Calculator to get instant benchmarks and personalized improvement tips.

#What is Time to Hire?

Time to hire measures the number of days between when a candidate enters your pipeline (applies or is sourced) and when they accept your job offer. It's one of the most important recruitment metrics because it directly impacts:

• Candidate experience - Top candidates won't wait around
• Cost per hire - Longer processes cost more
• Team productivity - Vacant roles hurt output
• Competitive advantage - Fast movers win talent wars

Don't confuse time to hire with time to fill, which measures from when a job requisition opens to when an offer is accepted. Time to hire focuses specifically on the candidate journey.

#Time to Hire Formula

The basic formula is straightforward:

 1Time to Hire = Offer Acceptance Date - Candidate Application Date

For example, if a candidate applied on January 5th and accepted your offer on January 25th, your time to hire is 20 days.

To calculate your average time to hire across multiple positions:

 1Average Time to Hire = Sum of All Time to Hire / Number of Hires

If you hired 10 people with individual times of 15, 22, 18, 30, 25, 19, 21, 28, 16, and 20 days, your average would be:

(15 + 22 + 18 + 30 + 25 + 19 + 21 + 28 + 16 + 20) / 10 = 21.4 days

#Time to Hire Benchmarks by Industry

How does your hiring speed compare? Here are the average time to hire benchmarks across major industries:

These numbers come from industry research and represent averages. Your ideal time to hire depends on factors like role seniority, required skills, and local talent availability.

Use our Time to Hire Calculator to see exactly how your process compares to your specific industry benchmark.

#Breaking Down the Hiring Stages

To improve your time to hire, you need to understand where time is spent. Track each stage with our Recruitment Funnel Analyzer to identify bottlenecks. Here's a typical breakdown:

#1. Job Posting Active (Benchmark: 7 days)

The time your job posting is live and collecting applications. If this stage is taking too long, you might have:

• Poor job description visibility
• Unattractive job titles
• Missing from key job boards

#2. Candidate Sourcing (Benchmark: 14 days)

Actively finding and reaching out to potential candidates. Long sourcing times often indicate:

• No existing talent pipeline
• Limited sourcing channels
• Overly specific requirements

#3. Resume Screening (Benchmark: 5 days)

Reviewing applications to identify qualified candidates. Bottlenecks here suggest:

• Too many unqualified applicants
• No screening automation
• Unclear evaluation criteria

#4. Interview Process (Benchmark: 14 days)

From first interview to final interview. Extended interview stages typically mean:

• Too many interview rounds
• Scheduling difficulties
• Slow interviewer feedback

#5. Hiring Decision (Benchmark: 3 days)

Time to decide on the final candidate. Delays often come from:

• Unclear decision-making authority
• Waiting for consensus
• Second-guessing the process

#6. Offer & Acceptance (Benchmark: 5 days)

From extending the offer to candidate acceptance. Slow offer stages can indicate:

• Complex approval processes
• Uncompetitive offers
• Slow negotiation responses

#7 Proven Strategies to Reduce Time to Hire

#1. Build a Talent Pipeline Before You Need It

Don't start from zero every time you have an opening. Maintain relationships with:

• Past applicants who were strong but not selected
• Passive candidates in your industry
• Employee referral networks
• University and bootcamp graduates

Pro tip: Use your ATS to tag promising candidates for future roles. When a position opens, you'll have a warm list ready.

#2. Optimize Your Job Descriptions for Speed

Your job posting is your first filter. Make it work harder:

• Use clear, searchable job titles - "Senior Software Engineer" beats "Code Ninja"
• List requirements vs. nice-to-haves - Reduce unqualified applications
• Include salary ranges - Attract serious candidates only
• Highlight what makes you unique - Stand out in a crowded market

Need help? Our AI Job Description Generator creates optimized job posts in seconds.

#3. Implement AI-Powered Resume Screening

Manual resume screening is a massive time sink. Modern ATS solutions can:

• Score candidates against job requirements automatically
• Surface top matches instantly
• Eliminate unconscious bias in initial screening
• Process hundreds of applications in minutes

With JuggleHire's AI candidate matching, you can identify your best candidates without manually reading every resume.

#4. Reduce Interview Rounds

Every additional interview round adds days to your process and increases candidate drop-off. Consider:

• Panel interviews - Meet multiple stakeholders at once
• Structured interviews - Consistent questions speed up evaluation
• Video first rounds - Easier to schedule than in-person
• Skills assessments - Replace interviews with practical tests

Most roles don't need more than 3 interview stages. Be ruthless about cutting unnecessary rounds.

#5. Speed Up Scheduling

Scheduling delays are silent killers of hiring speed. Fix this by:

• Using automated scheduling tools (Calendly, etc.)
• Blocking dedicated interview time slots each week
• Empowering recruiters to book directly on hiring manager calendars
• Offering multiple time options in first outreach

#6. Create a Streamlined Decision Process

Define who has final decision authority before you start hiring. Then:

• Use scorecards with clear criteria
• Set a maximum time for feedback (24-48 hours)
• Hold brief daily standups during active hiring
• Empower hiring managers to make offers without committee approval for standard roles

#7. Pre-Approve Offer Ranges

Don't lose candidates to slow offer approvals. Before opening a role:

• Get salary range pre-approved
• Have offer letter templates ready
• Define negotiation parameters upfront
• Enable same-day verbal offers for strong candidates

#The Cost of Slow Hiring

Still not convinced speed matters? Consider these costs:

Direct costs:

• Recruiter time (more hours per hire)
• Job board fees (longer postings)
• Lost productivity (vacant role)

Indirect costs:

• Top candidates accept other offers
• Remaining team burns out
• Projects get delayed
• Revenue opportunities missed

Research suggests the average cost of a vacant position is 1-3x the role's monthly salary. A senior developer role paying $150,000/year costs roughly $12,500 per month it stays open. Use our Hiring Budget Calculator to calculate the true cost of your vacant positions.

#Tracking Your Progress

What gets measured gets improved. Track these metrics monthly:

1. Average time to hire - Your headline metric
2. Time per stage - Find your bottlenecks
3. Offer acceptance rate - Are you losing candidates at the end?
4. Source effectiveness - Which channels deliver fastest?
5. Hiring manager response time - Internal accountability

Use our Time to Hire Calculator to benchmark your current state and identify which stages need the most attention.

#Common Time to Hire Mistakes

Avoid these pitfalls that secretly slow you down:

#Over-Engineering the Process

More steps don't mean better hires. Every addition should justify its existence.

#Waiting for the "Perfect" Candidate

Good candidates who can grow often outperform perfect candidates who take 3 months to find.

#Ignoring Candidate Communication

Radio silence makes candidates assume the worst. Regular updates keep them engaged.

#Not Learning from Data

If you're not tracking where time goes, you're guessing at improvements.

#Quick Wins to Implement This Week

Start improving your time to hire today:

1. Audit your current process - Map every step and who owns it
2. Calculate your baseline - Use our calculator to know where you stand
3. Identify your biggest bottleneck - Focus on the slowest stage first
4. Set a target - Aim to reduce time by 20% in the next quarter
5. Review your job descriptions - Are they attracting the right candidates quickly?

#Conclusion

Time to hire directly impacts your ability to compete for talent. The companies that move fastest—without sacrificing quality—win the best candidates.

Start by understanding your current state, benchmark against your industry, and systematically attack your slowest stages. Small improvements compound into significant competitive advantages.

Ready to see where you stand? Use our free Time to Hire Calculator to get your personalized benchmark and actionable tips.

#Related Resources

• Time to Hire Calculator - Free tool to benchmark your hiring speed
• How to Automate Your Recruitment Process
• How to Reduce Cost Per Hire
• Set Recruitment KPIs That Actually Matter
• Recruitment Funnel Analyzer - Track hiring stage bottlenecks
• Hiring Budget Calculator - Calculate vacancy costs
• AI Recruitment Software Guide