Is your interview process too long? What it costs and how to fix it

The average time to fill an open role fell from 48 days in 2023 to 41 days in 2024¹, and candidates notice the difference. A drawn-out process quietly works against you in two ways: it costs money while a role sits empty, and it loses your strongest applicants to competitors who move faster. If you want a healthier pipeline, start by rethinking how your interview process runs.

Key takeaways

• Aim for two to three interview rounds over a few weeks; candidates are likelier to drop out beyond that.
• A slow process costs you candidates, cost-per-hire, employer brand, and recruiter time.
• Hiring usually drags because of too many rounds, misaligned decision-makers, and scheduling friction.
• You can speed things up by tightening screening, capping rounds, and setting feedback deadlines.
• Speed without structure backfires: cutting vetting to save days leads to costly mis-hires.

How long is too long for an interview process?

A good target for most roles is two to three interview rounds over a few weeks, and candidates are likelier to walk once you push past that. There is no universal standard, and the risk runs both ways: rush it and you make a bad hire, drag it out and you lose good people. According to Talent Board research reported by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)², the top three reasons candidates withdraw are having their time disrespected through poor communication, the process taking too long, and pay not meeting expectations. Two of those three are pace and communication, both within your control.

What a slow interview process costs your company

A long process is not a neutral delay. The costs add up across four areas:

1. Lost candidates: strong applicants accept faster offers before you finish deliberating.
2. Higher cost-per-hire: extra rounds burn recruiter and hiring-manager hours, and an unfilled role drags on team productivity.
3. Employer-brand damage: frustrated candidates share their experience, and job seekers weigh those reviews before they apply, so it pays to actively manage your Glassdoor employer profile.
4. Team strain: recruiters and interviewers lose hours from their core work with every added step.

Kevin Grossman, vice president of research at ERE Media, notes that a positive candidate experience can "decrease ghosting by top talent and enhance your ability to fill gaps in your workforce." The reverse is just as true.

Why hiring drags on

Most delays trace back to a handful of causes:

• Too many interview rounds and redundant assessments that test the same thing twice.
• Too many or misaligned decision-makers, plus feedback that trickles in slowly.
• Over-reliance on screening and artificial intelligence (AI) tools that add steps instead of removing them.
• Remote and hybrid scheduling friction across calendars and time zones.
• Unclear job requirements at kickoff, which sends interviewers looking for different things.

How to speed up hiring without making a bad hire

You can compress your timeline without cutting corners. Five tactics do most of the work:

1. Tighten your screening criteria before you review resumes, so you filter on what the role actually needs.
2. Start with phone or video screens instead of scheduling in-person meetings for everyone.
3. Cap rounds at two to three, and align interviewers on a structured approach so each round tests something distinct.
4. Set a feedback deadline for interviewers, and hold to it.
5. Pre-draft offer letters so you can move the moment you get to yes.

One caution: cutting vetting to save time is how expensive mis-hires happen. The goal is to remove waste, not judgment, so balance speed with structure.

Frequently asked questions

How many interview rounds is too many? Two to three rounds work for most roles; each extra round tends to add drop-off risk without adding much signal. How do we speed up hiring without lowering quality? Add structure rather than removing steps at random: align interviewers, define what each round tests, and set decision deadlines. Does AI or automation actually speed up hiring? It can shorten screening, but it can also pile on gates and assessments. Use it to remove manual work, not to add hurdles.

Methodology

¹ SHRM, "Recruiters Express Optimism for 2025," January 2, 2025. Based on Employ Inc.'s annual Recruiter Nation Report, an analysis of recruiting data from more than 22,000 Employ customers and a survey of 1,200 talent acquisition professionals conducted by Zogby Analytics in September 2024. ² SHRM, "Research Reveals Candidates' Frustrations with Hiring Process," April 9, 2024. Based on the Candidate Experience Benchmark Research (Talent Board, now part of ERE Media), drawing on 2023 data from 150 organizations and survey feedback from 240,000 job candidates. See how candidates rate your interview experience — claim your free employer profile.