There is no strict rule about how long it will take employers to respond to you with a job offer (or a refusal of employment). The hiring process may vary from employer to employer, the type of job you apply for, and the industry in which you work. You may receive an offer in a day or two, or it may take weeks. 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. In addition, many companies begin the hiring process with a long “wish list” of skills or experience they are looking for in a new employee. Finally, because the cost of a bad hire is so high, companies are bringing more stakeholders into the interview process in the hope of avoiding a hiring error.
This will keep you too busy to worry about a position and could even cause several employers to compete to hire you. Take the necessary steps to first identify the best candidates in the market and then streamline your hiring process so that those candidates maintain their commitment until you can successfully recruit and hire them. Even so, Adams says that companies can make certain changes to accelerate hiring, such as having realistic expectations about who they will be able to hire. Glassdoor attributes this to variations in labor market regulations: how easy it is to hire and fire people.
On the contrary, moving quickly through the hiring process can “result in poor hiring and result in dismissal,” Adams says. In many cases, finding the perfect person to fulfill all of these requirements isn't realistic, but hiring managers may still need time to decide which skills are truly critical. According to the United States Department of Labor, the cost of a bad hire represents about 30% of that employee's income in the first year, so companies want to make sure that they take their time to research potential employees before making any commitments.
