Does your interview process take longer than it did a few years ago?
If so, you’re not alone. Back in 2015, Glassdoor conducted a global study on whether hiring is moving faster or slower in the US and five other countries than in previous years. It examined 340,000 job interview reviews posted anonymously on its site.
The results showed that the time required for hiring processes has been trending upward. “…hiring times have grown by about 3.3 to 3.7 days on average since 2009,” according to the results.
Not surprisingly, the number of days varied dramatically between countries. Economists discovered that the hiring process takes much longer in France, Germany and the UK compared to the US and Canada by, in some cases, more than a week. Consider that the average hiring time in the US and Canada was 22.9 days and 22.1 days, respectively, compared to France (31.9 days) and Germany (28.8 days).
Earlier this year – between Jan. and June – Glassdoor expanded this study to 25 countries, analyzing another 84,000 posted interview reviews and comparing them to others posted last year. The amount of days it takes to hire job candidates is still climbing.
Take France where the interview process now averages 38.9 days or Switzerland, 37.6 days. The longest time frame seems to occur in Brazil (39.6 days) and the shortest in India (16.1 days), Israel (16.9 days) and Romania (19.2 days).
Hiring Times in The United States
Back home, the average time to hire grew to 23.8 days. Federal jobs had the longest interview process (53.8 days) followed by those in aerospace and defense (32.6 days) and energy and utilities (28.8 days). The sectors with the shortest processes were restaurant and bars (10.2 days), private security (11.6 days) and supermarkets (12.3 days).
But some US jobs demanded even longer hiring processes. On average, professors required 60.3 days, business systems analysts 44.8 days and research scientists 44.6 days.
What is causing the delays?
While there are many variables that contribute to how slow or fast your hiring processes are, one key factor is the “differences in labor market regulations and institutions. Put simply, the more difficult it is to hire and fire employees — and the more institutional and regulatory hurdles faced by hiring companies — the longer interview processes will generally be,” revealed the study’s authors.
Another factor is how quickly candidates can be screened. In some industries, employers decide which screening processes to use like group panel interviews, skills tests or candidate presentations in addition to background checks or drug tests, which each add time to the overall hiring process.
Still, specific occupations or job titles only account for 7.3 percent of hiring delays while 7.2 percent can be credited to other factors, such as the country, industry or type of employer, according to Glassdoor’s study. However, more than double of those combined amounts – 14.7 percent – involve factors that are within a company’s control.
What can be done to expedite the process?
Consider exercising some of your power by first evaluating your recruiting and selection practices. Is each step still needed? Does each practice enhance the quality of candidates hired? What layers can be cut without negatively impacting the selection process? Are you using PeopleFacts to conduct background checks and drug testing, which offers a quick turnaround time and accurate results
Shortening the hiring process by even half a day can make a difference with some positions and people. By implementing effective strategies that reduce time to hire and choosing PeopleFacts to conduct your background checks, you’ll be better positioned than other recruiters to get what many dream of – first dibs on quality applicants.
