What is Time to Hire: calculation formula, benchmark, and ways to improve

Time to Hire is one of the key HR metrics that measures how quickly a candidate moves through the recruitment funnel: from the first contact (or application) to accepting a job offer.

This metric shows how quickly your hiring team works and how efficiently the selection process is structured.

How Is Time to Hire Different from Time to Fill?

Confusion between these two terms is one of the most common mistakes in recruitment analytics. The main difference lies in the starting point.

Example: The position was opened on June 1. The recruiter found a suitable candidate and contacted them on June 10. The candidate accepted the offer on June 20.

• Time to Fill = 20 days (from June 1 to June 20).
• Time to Hire = 10 days (from June 10 to June 20).

Time to Hire Calculation Formula

To calculate Time to Hire for a specific job opening, use this simple formula:

Time to Hire = Offer Acceptance Date – First Contact Date

How to Calculate the Average Time to Hire for a Company:

Add the Time to Hire figures for all positions filled during a specific period (for example, a quarter). Divide the resulting sum by the total number of positions filled.

Formula:

Average Time to Hire = Sum of Time to Hire for All Positions / Number of Positions Filled

What Time to Hire Is Considered the Benchmark?

There is no universal figure — everything depends on the industry, position level, and the scarcity of specialists in the market. However, there are average benchmarks:

• High-volume hiring (Retail, HoReCa, Customer Support): 7–14 days.
• Mid-level positions (Sales, Marketing, HR): 20–30 days.
• IT and complex technical roles (Senior/Lead Engineers): 30–50 days.
• C-level executives: 60 days or more.

Why Is It Important to Track This Metric?

• Retaining strong candidates: according to research, top professionals find a new job within 10 days. If your hiring process takes too long, competitors will hire them first.
• Reducing costs: the longer the selection process takes, the more hours recruiters and hiring managers spend on interviews instead of their core responsibilities.
• Improving Candidate Experience: candidates value fast and clear feedback. A process that drags on for months damages the employer brand.

How to Reduce Time to Hire Without Losing Candidate Quality

• Optimize the interview stages: reduce the number of interviews to 2–3 stages. Combine HR screening with a short technical introduction.
• Speed up test assignment reviews: set a clear deadline for hiring managers (for example, no more than 48 hours to provide feedback on a test assignment).
• Automate routine tasks with an ATS: using a recruitment automation system eliminates delays caused by manually moving candidates between stages and reminds you when feedback is missing.

Track Time to Hire Automatically in PersiaHR

Don’t waste time calculating metrics manually in spreadsheets. PersiaHR automatically tracks candidate movement through the hiring funnel and provides clear analytics: you can immediately see exactly where delays occur and how your team is performing.

Try PersiaHR for free

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