What is time to hire? Everything you should know

Hiring new employees is an essential function of human resources teams. While vacant positions undoubtedly must be filled, determining the right timeline depends on many factors unique to each business. Companies wondering how to reduce time to hire must do due diligence before determining the right pace for their organization.

Interested in Oyster but want more information about how the platform works? This product overview should help.

What is time to hire?

Time to hire is the number of days from when a candidate applies for a job to when they accept your offer. This recruiting metric helps you measure how efficiently your team moves candidates through the hiring process.

Several key factors influence your time to hire:

• Industry type: Tech and healthcare typically take longer than retail

• Role seniority: Executive positions require more interview rounds

• Company size: Larger organizations often have more approval stages

• Market conditions: Competitive markets can slow decision-making.

Why time to hire matters

So why should you care about time to hire? A slow hiring process hurts your business in multiple ways:

• Lost talent: Top candidates accept other offers while waiting, contributing to what research shows are low offer acceptance rates and an overall hiring success rate of just 46% in Europe.

• Higher costs: Extended recruiting cycles increase expenses

• Brand damage: Slow processes create negative candidate experiences, which is a significant issue when studies show that about 36 percent of employees across Europe and the U.S. are already unsatisfied with their current employer.

The good news? Optimizing your time to hire gives you a competitive edge. For example, by using a video interviewing platform, Hilton was able to cut its recruiting cycle from six weeks to just five days, showing candidates it is organized and decisive.

Time to fill vs. time to hire

Time to fill vs. time to hire are often confused. Time to hire refers to the length of time from when a candidate applies for a position to when they accept that position. On the other hand, time to fill measures the time it takes for the entire hiring process, from when a job is posted to when a candidate accepts the position. The average time to fill vs. time to hire for a position might vary based on factors like industry, position, and salary.

How to calculate time to hire

Calculating time to hire is straightforward. Here's the basic formula:

Time to hire = Date of job offer acceptance - Date of application

To track this effectively:

1. Record the application date for each candidate

2. Note the date they accept your offer

3. Calculate the difference in days

4. Average across all hires for your overall metric

Most HR teams use spreadsheets or applicant tracking systems to automate this calculation and spot trends over time.

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Average time to hire benchmarks

What's a "good" time to hire? It depends on several factors:

• Entry-level roles: 15-25 days

• Mid-level positions: 25-35 days

• Senior/executive roles: 35-60 days

• Specialized technical roles: 30-45 days

Industry data shows the overall average ranges from 23 to 29 days, but this can extend during competitive hiring periods. The key is benchmarking against similar companies in your industry rather than chasing a universal "perfect" number.

Streamline your global hiring process with Oyster

Understanding and optimizing your time to hire is a critical step toward building a strong, competitive team. But when your talent pool is global, the complexity of hiring, payroll, and compliance can slow you down. That's where a global employment platform can help.

Oyster is built to remove the friction from international hiring, allowing you to onboard new Team Members compliantly in as fast as 48 hours. By automating contracts, payroll, and benefits, you can focus on finding the best talent, not navigating the red tape. Ready to accelerate your growth? Start hiring globally and turn a complex process into a simple, scalable advantage.

Book a demo to learn more.