What is Time to Hire?
Time to Hire measures how long it takes to move a candidate through the recruitment process - from the moment they apply (or get sourced) to the moment they accept the job offer. This tells you how quickly your team can identify, assess, and secure the right person.
A shorter Time to Hire means your recruitment process is smooth, fast, and efficient.
A long Time to Hire could mean bottlenecks. Your interview process may be too slow, or decision-making is dragging out.
What is Time to Fill?
Time to Fill is a bigger-picture metric. It measures how long it takes to fill a role from the moment it’s approved to when a candidate accepts the offer.
This includes job ad creation, sourcing, interviews, offer negotiations, and everything in between.
A shorter Time to Fill means your hiring strategy is well-planned and proactive.
A long Time to Fill could mean delays in getting job approvals, sourcing difficulties, or inefficiencies in your hiring process.
Why Do These Metrics Matter?
Speed matters in hiring. Here’s why keeping an eye on both Time to Hire and Time to Fill can make a big difference:
Better Candidate Experience – No one likes waiting weeks for feedback. A quick process keeps candidates engaged and excited about your offer.
Competitive Advantage – Top talent doesn’t stick around for long. If your hiring process is slow, your competitors will snap up the best people first.
Cost Savings – The longer a role stays open, the more it costs. A slow hiring process can also mean overworked teams and missed business opportunities.
Stronger Employer Brand – A fast, smooth hiring process makes you look professional and attractive to candidates.
How to Improve Both Metrics
- Use AI-powered recruitment tools (like HireHive) to automate job postings, candidate screening, and interview scheduling.
- Identify bottlenecks in your process. Are you waiting too long between interview rounds? Are job approvals slowing things down?
- Improve communication and collaboration with hiring managers to ensure quick decision-making.
- Build a talent pipeline so you’re not starting from scratch every time a role opens up.
Understanding Time to Hire vs Time to Fill helps you pinpoint where delays are happening - and how to fix them. The faster and smoother your hiring process, the happier your candidates, hiring managers, and business will be.
Want to supercharge your hiring speed? Try HireHive and cut down on wasted time.
