Hiring managers and recruiters all want the same thing: the right talent, in the right role, at the right time. But when it comes to measuring hiring speed, things get murky. Ask five recruiters to define time to fill, time to hire, or time to start, and you’ll likely hear five slightly different answers.
According to recent data, the global average time to hire is 44 days and the average interview process alone takes about 23 days. Compounding matters, top candidates tend to vanish fast: many are off the market in just 10 days.
Those stats aren’t just numbers. They highlight how small delays add up. A slow hiring process can cost you great candidates, waste recruiter bandwidth, and leave teams understaffed for longer. That’s why it’s crucial to not only measure how long you take to hire, but to break that timeline into meaningful segments.
That lack of consistency makes it harder to track progress, identify bottlenecks, and forecast workforce needs. To improve recruiting outcomes, we need clarity. Let’s break down the three most common metrics—time to fill, time to hire, and time to start—and look at how they work together to tell the full story of your hiring process.
What Is Time to Fill?
Definition: Time to fill measures the total number of calendar days it takes to fill an open role. It begins when a job requisition is approved or the job is posted, and it ends when a candidate accepts the offer.
Why It Matters:
Reflects the overall efficiency of your hiring process.Helps workforce planners estimate how long it will take to fill a vacancy.Long time to fill often means lost productivity and overextended teams.
How to Calculate It:
Time to Fill = Date candidate accepts offer – Date job requisition is approved (or posted)
Example: If a role is approved and posted on March 1 and the candidate accepts on March 25, the time to fill is 24 days.
What Is Time to Hire?
Definition: Time to hire zooms in on the candidate journey. It measures the days between when a candidate enters the pipeline—by applying, being referred, or being sourced—and when they accept the offer.
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Hiring managers and recruiters all want the same thing: the right talent, in the right role, at the right time.