How long is too long for a hiring process?

Realistically, in many places, recruitment takes weeks, sometimes more than a month. Logistical problems, industry-specific processes or factors unique to a given position influence the delivery time from the job advertisement to the formal offer. However, while the long and lengthy process can be frustrating, it can have an advantage if candidates stay there during the hiring marathon. What happens if the hiring process is too long? There is no single answer to the question of how long the hiring process takes.

This is because the length of the hiring process varies from employer to employer depending on the type of position you apply for and the industry in which you work. For example, employers usually hold service positions, such as service desks, for between one week and ten days, while higher education institutions usually fill teaching positions in just over 60 days. To understand why the hiring process takes so long, consider that employers may have between a few and more than 100 candidates applying for a vacant position. The more applicants, the longer the overall process will take.

If 10 business days have passed since your interview and you haven't heard back from your potential employer, follow up with a phone call or email to your human resources contact. Tell them that you are calling or writing to let them know that you are still interested in the position and ask them if there is anything else they need from you that could help them decide in their favor. On the contrary, moving quickly through the hiring process can “result in poor hiring and result in dismissal,” Adams says. Other hiring tasks, such as background checks, personality evaluations, skill evaluations and drug testing, also increase the time it can take for companies to hire new employees.

So what's a good rule of thumb for the length of the hiring process? The overall average time to hire right now in the U.S. The U.S. ranges from 42 to 43 days. Share facts and tips to help you find and hire talent before your next top candidate keeps yours.

In other words, as much as getting hired is your priority, hiring managers have their own schedules, not yours. You'd be surprised how many companies take months to hire, mostly due to an inefficient or poorly executed hiring process, but in others it's due to the belief that a vacant position saves them money and protects their bottom line.

Charlene Miles
Charlene Miles

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