How long does the whole interview process take?

The number of interviews will vary from employer to employer, but you should be prepared for meetings by phone, video, and in person. Receiving an offer may take several weeks. The average time from interview to offer for new university graduates is 24 days. The time it takes to hire someone can say a lot about what a company is like.

A particularly lengthy interview process could be a sign that you are not the company's first choice for the position or that they are not very well organized in general. On the other hand, a process that is too short may indicate that a company is not prioritizing whether or not it is a good option for both parties. But when you're so emotionally interested in an opportunity, it's hard to objectively determine whether or not the interview process is taking long enough. If you're excited about the opportunity, a recruiter tells you that they'll contact you within a week to let you know about the next steps can seem like an eternity.

So how can you tell if things are moving at a normal pace or not? The interview process can also be longer or shorter depending on the industry you are in. Government jobs take almost twice the average length of time in the U.S. UU. (53.8 days in total), followed by 26% for the aerospace sector (32.6 days) and 26% for public energy services (28.8 days).

Those who work in the restaurant (26%) and bar industries can expect quick interview processes (only 10.2 days), as can private security people (11.6 days) and supermarkets (12.3 days). Didn't you see your city, industry or post on this blog? See the full study for a more complete list. The Glassdoor blog provides valuable content to conscious job seekers and to employees who are passionate about furthering and deepening their careers. Prolonged hiring processes can, of course, be counterproductive for employers, when candidates end up losing interest in the job.

Logistical problems, industry-specific processes or factors unique to a given position influence the delivery time from the job advertisement to the formal offer. In addition, more structured processes involving more people can help avoid unconscious biases in hiring; if more than one person participates in the interview, there is less chance that the candidate will be the victim of the biases of a single recruiter. While some applicants understand why the process takes so long, many still have to endure interview processes that seem endless, which may be worse depending on the company. If the process lasts longer than four weeks, the risk of losing those A-level candidates to another company increases dramatically.

The hiring process also seems to have become less courteous; the use of ghost images (both by the employer and the candidate), just like breadcrumbs, is widely reported when potential employers mislead candidates. In many industries, additional obstacles, such as drug testing, personality tests, background checks and skill evaluations, have become more common, adding more steps to the hiring process. If you take too long during the hiring process, if that process is full of lack of communication and feedback, and if that process stagnates in any way, the candidate might consider you representative of your organization in general. Often, companies look for the “perfect candidate” and, in the process, encourage workers.

Adams says that a process that seems too long may be a bad sign; maybe the job isn't right for you. For decades, research has shown that structured interviews, in which interviewers work harder to prepare questions and possible evaluations in advance, produce better recruits than unstructured interviews that involve talking with a candidate about their resume. However, more and more, job seekers are losing patience and this marathon process makes workers walk. .

Charlene Miles
Charlene Miles

Infuriatingly humble internet guru. Incurable travel ninja. Incurable zombie scholar. Hardcore zombie advocate. Friendly web expert. Hardcore travel fan.