What is time to fill?
Time to fill is a key metric that tracks how long it takes for a company to fill a job opening—starting from the posting date to the day a new hire starts. Unlike time to hire, which focuses on the time from a candidate’s application to offer acceptance, time to fill covers the entire recruitment process. This includes the time for interviews, offer acceptance, background checks, and onboarding.
This metric helps recruitment teams assess how efficient their recruitment process is. A shorter time to fill may indicate an effective recruitment process, while a longer one can highlight issues in sourcing, screening, or making a hiring decision.
Companies can use this metric to improve recruitment efforts, schedule interviews more efficiently, and optimize tracking systems like applicant tracking systems or recruiting software.
A long time to fill can also harm the employer brand, discouraging job seekers and ideal candidates from applying or accepting job offers. Tracking this metric helps identify areas for improvement and ensures a quicker, more efficient process for attracting top talent pools and potential candidates.
Why is time to fill important?
Time to fill plays a crucial role in the recruitment process for several reasons:
- Efficiency: A shorter time to fill means that the entire recruitment process is efficient and streamlined. It allows companies to fill job openings faster, reducing the costs tied to vacant positions and boosting productivity. Tools like applicant tracking systems and recruiting software help automate and optimize this process.
- Competitive advantage: Companies with a quick and efficient hiring process stand out to job seekers. Potential candidates, especially top talent, often prefer companies that have a fast and smooth selection process. A shorter fill time makes your company more appealing to ideal candidates.
- Cost savings: Every day a position remains unfilled costs the company in productivity and recruiting expenses. A quicker time to fill helps reduce these costs and improves the overall recruitment efforts.
- Employer brand: Long delays in hiring may signal a poor candidate experience, damaging the company’s reputation. If job seekers face delays during the interview process or after job offers, it can discourage them from applying again or recommending the company.
- Identifying areas for improvement: Tracking time to fill helps in identifying areas for improvement within the recruitment process. If positions consistently take longer to fill, it could highlight issues in talent pools, background checks, or the way recruitment teams manage interviews. Analyzing this metric helps refine the recruitment process and deliver better outcomes.
How to calculate time to fill?
The time-to-fill formula tracks the time from when a job opening is identified (whether it’s submitted for approval, approved, or advertised) until a candidate accepts the offer. Consistency in when the measurement starts is key for accurate comparison across roles.
For example, if a position is approved on Day 1 and a candidate accepts on Day 25, the time-to-fill is 25 days. If two other positions took 18 and 28 days, the average time-to-fill would be calculated like this:
Step 1: 25 + 18 + 28 = 71 total days
Step 2: 71 total days / 3 new hires = 23.7 days
This means positions remain open for an average of 23.7 days. By reviewing your time-to-hire and time-to-fill, you can identify areas for improvement and ensure you hire top talent swiftly.
Time to fill vs. Time to hire
| Metric | Time to Fill | Time to Hire |
| Definition | Measures the time from when a job opening is posted to when the candidate starts. | Measures the time from when the ideal candidate enters the process to the hiring decision. |
| Start Point | Job posting date. | When a candidate submits an application or is identified (through referrals, etc.). |
| End Point | Candidate’s start date. | The date the offer letter is accepted. |
| Focus | Focuses on the entire recruitment process, including sourcing and screening. | Focuses on the selection process after identifying potential candidates. |
| Use | Helps recruitment teams assess overall efficiency in filling job openings. | Helps track the speed of making hiring decisions once a candidate is found. |
| Goal | Minimize delays in the posting to hire process. | Improve speed in making decisions after a candidate enters the process. |
