Practical use cases
- Measuring how efficiently a candidate moved from first contact to accepted offer.
- Comparing process speed across candidates on a like-for-like basis.
- Spotting stages where candidates wait longest, when tracked per stage.
Calculator
Works entirely in your browser — nothing is sent, saved or tracked. Results update as you type.
How it works
The formula is:
Days between the candidate entering the pipeline and the accepted offer
The start point is when the specific candidate entered the pipeline (applied or was sourced). The end point is the date they accepted the offer. Keep the start definition consistent across candidates.
Worked example: If a candidate applied on the 1st and accepted on the 22nd day after, time to hire is 21 days.
For the full background — what it measures, why it matters and how to read it — see the time to hire guide.
How to read the result
Time to hire reflects how efficiently your process moves a candidate who is already in it. It is candidate- and process-centric, where time to fill is role- and market-centric, so the two are best read together.
A short time to hire is good only if quality holds; speed at the expense of structured evaluation can shift the problem downstream into quality of hire and new-hire retention.
Common mistakes
- Starting the clock at the role opening rather than at the candidate entering the pipeline (that is time to fill).
- Inconsistent start points (applied vs. sourced vs. first interview) across candidates.
- Optimising speed alone without watching quality of hire and offer acceptance.
- Averaging across candidates whose journeys started at different stages.
Free, printable planning resources
Plan and onboard consistently alongside the numbers. No signup, no gating.