How long does the recruiting process take? HR Dive reports an average time to hire of 44 days. However, some posts are easier to fill than others. For example, Forbes reports an average time to hire of 149 days for CEO-level vacancies. 

A need for shorter hiring times is often expressed. After all, companies cannot reach their full operational potential while vacancies exist. Meanwhile, a significant proportion of candidates become frustrated by lengthy hiring processes. This may cause them to leave the recruitment funnel before the process is complete.

In this article, we will examine average hiring times by industry, the steps in the hiring process, and the time they take. We will also propose tried-and-tested solutions to reduce the average hiring process time while still prioritizing candidate quality. 

What is the Average Time to Hire By Industry?

Every industry has unique intricacies and requirements that affect the average hiring process. For instance, the government, energy, or pharmaceutical sectors can take as long as 67 days to identify and hire suitable candidates. With that in mind, we examine hiring timelines in different sectors. 

Professional Services

In professional services, such as law, finance, engineering, or consulting, the hiring process can take on average between 25 and 47 days globally. 25 days is more common for lower-level positions, but this timeframe also varies significantly from country to country.   

Companies in these sectors seek candidates with industry-specific qualifications and experience, and the talent pool is also smaller than in other industries. 

Technology

In general for the tech industry, hiring junior programmers can average 30 days, while hiring experienced engineers can average 47 days.  

The booming tech industry also has a comprehensive hiring process, but it can achieve faster hiring times due to the competitive nature of the market. Constant changes due to evolving technology can affect the time to hire. 

Healthcare

The most recent figures available for the healthcare industry indicate an average hiring time of 44 days. However, specialist roles require longer recruitment cycles. 

Healthcare has a moderate to lengthy hiring process due to the critical nature of the roles and the need for thorough credentialing checks. 

Manufacturing, Logistics, and Supply Chain

In the manufacturing sector, the fastest hires occur within 25 working days, but the average time is 44 days. The hiring process can be swift for entry-level positions but more prolonged for specialized roles.

Supply chain disruptions in the last few years have impacted this, so average times are dropping. 

Education

Hiring in education can also be a complex and time-consuming process. For example, hiring for a professorial role in the US can take more than 60 days, but the global average time for all educational roles is 43 days.  

How Long Does a Recruitment Process Take?

Understanding the hiring process timeline helps identify potential bottlenecks and areas for improvement, allowing you to plan effectively according to your needs. Here is a detailed hiring process timeline with average turnaround times for each stage:

Stage 1: Job Posting and Application Collection

Duration: 1-2 weeks using traditional methods

Posting the job advertisement on relevant platforms and collecting applications is the initial step. The time taken here depends on the visibility of the job posting and the final number of applicants.

Stage 2: Initial Screening

Duration: 1-2 weeks using manual screening

During this stage, resumes and cover letters are reviewed to shortlist candidates for the next phase. As this is a critical filtering step, it can be time-consuming, especially for roles with a high number of applicants.

Stage 3: Phone/Online Interviews

Duration: 1-2 weeks when not automated

Recruiters conduct preliminary phone or online interviews to narrow down the pool of candidates further. The hiring manager, recruiter, or manager typically conducts these interviews. Each one might last 30 minutes to an hour.

Stage 4: Scheduled In-Person Interviews

Duration: 2-4 weeks

In-person interviews are scheduled once candidates have been selected based on previous criteria. They often involve multiple rounds, including technical, behavioral, and panel interviews. Scheduling these interviews to accommodate everyone can extend the timeline.

Stage 5: Background Checks and References

Duration: 2-4 weeks (may overlap final interviews)

Verifying a candidate’s background and references can be a lengthy process, especially if there are delays in response from previous employers or institutions. If the role calls for complex work, it can also lengthen the process.

Stage 6: Final Decision and Offer

Duration: 1-2 weeks (may overlap final interviews)

This consists of making the final decision and extending an offer to the successful candidate. Candidates may need time to consider the offer, and negotiations on notice period and salary can lengthen this process.

Common Bottlenecks and Solutions

Bottleneck 1: Delays in Attracting Qualified Candidates 

It takes time to develop, implement, evaluate, and optimize recruitment advertising strategies. This may not only increase the cost per candidate, but also increase the time needed to attract relevant applicants. 

Solution: A job distribution platform can implement programmatic advertising based on preset criteria, improving reach. Recruiters can evaluate and adjust campaigns in real time, limiting delays in attracting suitable candidates. 

Bottleneck 2: Delays in Application Review. 

Going through applications and resumes is a vital step, so it cannot be rushed. This has traditionally been done manually, with the recruiter or hiring manager reviewing each resume and application against the job criteria. 

Recently, this process has been improved by implementing AI-driven applicant ranking systems. This technology must be monitored fastidiously and programmed with the right criteria so that strong candidates aren’t overlooked. 

Solution: By automating initial screenings using AI-powered tools and machine learning, you can quickly sift through resumes and identify top candidates. To avoid overreliance on AI, and potential bias, human oversight is required, but automation still reduces the time needed to review applications.  

Bottleneck 3: Scheduling Conflicts for Interviews

Matching candidates to interview schedules that suit hiring managers can be complex and time-consuming. Additionally, multiple interviews may be required per candidate. 

Solution: Use scheduling software to coordinate availability, contact the relevant people, and streamline the interview process. For example, initial interviews to confirm candidate suitability, availability, and interest in a role can be automated. 

Bottleneck 4: Slow Background Checks 

Getting replies from institutions or organizations can take longer than anticipated.

Solution: Plan ahead as much as possible and partner with reliable third-party services that can expedite the background checks and provide timely reports.

What Are the Best Ways to Expedite the Hiring Process?

Everyone benefits when the process is made more efficient, but it also needs to be done in a way that ensures good potential candidates aren’t overlooked. A timely and efficient hiring process is essential for attracting top talent and maintaining a competitive edge. 

Broadbean’s software and platform were developed specifically with this in mind. We offer several innovative technology solutions that can optimize the recruitment process – let’s see how this can be done.

1. Job Distribution

Broadbean’s job board aggregator enables employers and recruiters to post vacancies across multiple job boards, social media channels, and search engines. Key advantages include: 

• Access to 7,000 job boards in over 100 countries, broadening your reach and maximizing your candidate pipeline. 
• Tools to narrow down which platforms, portals, or sites produce the best results, saving time spent on campaign management. 
• Broadbean’s job distribution platform seamlessly integrates with most 120 ATS and CRM systems.

Our platform provides real-time insights through source tracking, activity reports, and performance analytics to optimize your recruitment strategies, speed up the hiring process, and cut recruitment costs.

2. Talent Search

Recruiters spend a significant amount of time reviewing talent databases. Frustratingly, proactive recruitment strategies can lead to faster times to hire, yet this step takes time, too. Simply eliminating it is not the answer. 

According to Jenn Terry Tharp, director of AT&T’s talent attraction team: “With the complexity in roles increasing, it has become more important than ever to have an engaged bench of potential candidates and to remove every barrier possible before it’s time to fill the role.”

Here’s how tech can help.

• Broadbean’s Search Package creates a central, internal database of resumes with convenient, descriptive tags. 
• Search for and match applicants with their ideal roles quickly by eliminating manual processes. 
• Tag resumes with relevant skills, experience, qualifications, and other chosen criteria.
• Set up automatic emails to message suitable candidates and provide feedback on their progress and next steps.

These features help you identify passive candidates whose resumes you already have, as well as reduce the time spent sorting through newly received resumes. 

3. Applicant Ranking

In addition to managing the database, you also want to be able to rank candidates without having to consider each applicant individually. 

• Broadbean uses machine intelligence to rank candidates based on custom and bespoke criteria such as experience, specific skills, or knowledge. 
• Reduce the time spent to prioritize the most suitable candidates.
• Maintain objectivity to ensure a fair selection process. 
• Filter applications by the advert, ranking strength, or flagging using a single dashboard.

As noted, human oversight is still required. Despite this, automation still reduces the time taken to shortlist top applicants. 

Additional Tips for Expediting the Hiring Process

Leverage Technology: With a unified and connected platform like Broadbean, technology is here to help you. One of the best ways to speed time to hire in today’s technology-driven workflow is to use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to manage applications and candidate communications.

Enhance Communication: Maintain clear and prompt communication with candidates and third parties to keep them engaged and informed throughout the process. 

Standardize Interviews: Develop a standardized interview process with set questions and evaluation criteria for consistency and speed. It not only ensures a fair approach but also eliminates time and energy spent on each interview. 

Optimize Onboarding: Simplify the onboarding process to enable new hires to start their roles promptly and efficiently. This may require liaising with employers or having onboarding documentation ready so that the candidate is properly prepared.

Case Study: The Natural History Museum

Our partnership with The Natural History Museum demonstrates how the intelligent deployment of technological solutions reduces candidate acquisition costs, speeds up the time to hire, and enables the HR department to focus more on what matters most: people. 

Struggling with limited funding and capacity, HR employees were spending up to 30 minutes on each job posting while trying to keep up with recruitment administration. By implementing our solutions, they were able to enhance their efficiency, concentrating their skills on optimized results. “The museum has achieved many cost and time efficiencies,” says resourcing manager Chris Wrigley. 

Case Study: Broadbean’s Acquisition by Veritone

To achieve the best results from technology, a set of complementary tools is required. Broadbean’s focus on making talent acquisition and engagement “easier, faster, and more efficient” prompted Veritone’s acquisition of the brand, HR Today reports. 

The result of this combination of leading HR technologies achieves what HR professionals seeking to reduce the average time to hire need most: a coherent toolkit spanning every step of the hiring process. 

How Long is Your Hiring Process? Save Time and Costs While Maintaining Quality

The hiring process is a critical component of any organization’s success, and understanding its timeline is essential for both employers and job seekers. Both sets of stakeholders commonly agree that the average hiring timeline is too cumbersome.

By identifying potential bottlenecks at each stage of the hiring process and leveraging tools like Broadbean’s talent attraction platform, recruiters can expedite the hiring process and secure top talent more efficiently.

Broadbean’s suite of products, including job distribution, talent search, and applicant ranking, offers comprehensive solutions to enhance the overall efficiency of hiring processes. 

By adopting these innovative tools and strategies, organizations can reduce the time-to-hire, thereby attracting the best candidates in the market. For more information on how Broadbean can help your recruitment efforts, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.