6 proven strategies to reduce time to hire

Did you know that 78% of jobseekers are likely to drop out of a hiring process that takes too long? Every delay increases the risk of losing top candidates to faster-moving competitors, and leaves roles unfilled longer than necessary.

Based on our research, this article outlines six proven strategies to help you hire faster without sacrificing quality:

• Use the most effective sourcing channels
• Automate time-consuming tasks
• Streamline candidate screening
• Improve stakeholder coordination
• Keep candidates engaged throughout the process
• Rethink and optimise interviews 

Let’s explore how you can apply each of these tactics to shorten your hiring timeline and secure top talent more efficiently. 

Use our pre-screening questions template to filter out irrelevant applications and focus on best-fit candidates

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What is time to hire?

Time to hire refers to the number of days between the moment a job opening is advertised and the day a candidate accepts the job offer. It’s a key recruitment metric that reflects how efficient an organisation’s hiring process is.

Understanding the concept is essential when considering how to reduce time to hire, as it highlights where delays may be happening in the recruitment process.

A shorter time to hire means you’re moving quickly to secure top talent, often before competitors get the chance.

Why is time to hire important?

A lengthy hiring process can negatively affect productivity, employee morale, and business outcomes. 

That’s because leaving roles unfilled for too long forces existing staff to take on additional responsibilities, which often results in teams feeling: 

• Overworked
• Undervalued
• Stressed 

Beyond internal strain, prolonged hiring delays can result in: 

• Missed project deadlines
• Declining service levels
• Reduced team performance 

Reducing time to hire helps employers fill vacancies faster, minimise disruption, and improve overall efficiency. More importantly, it gives organisations a competitive edge, making it possible to secure in-demand candidates before they are tempted by other offers.

How to reduce time to hire

From efficiently screening candidates to implementing a structured, speedy interview process, there are plenty of techniques employers can deploy to recruit top candidates while also reducing time to hire.

Let’s look at some of the recruitment strategies you can utilise to reduce a time-consuming or overly complex talent acquisition process.

1. Use the most effective sourcing channels

Not all sourcing methods yield equal results. 

According to our research, 70% of recruiters say that paid job listings result in the highest number of hires. For large businesses, that figure rises to 73%. Other high-performing channels include: 

• Careers pages or direct applications (71% for large companies)
• Employee referral programmes (68%)
• Upskilling or reskilling partnerships (especially among SMEs at 71%)

Tip: Focus on what works and continuously measure performance by channel to allocate your resources effectively.

Employee referral starter kit

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2. Automate time-consuming tasks

Admin is often a silent time-killer in the recruiting process. 

We found that the average recruiter spends over 17 hours per vacancy on tasks like CV screening, data entry, and scheduling interviews. That translates to more than two workdays lost, or over ££16,728 per recruiter per year. 

Some of the most inefficient areas include: 

• Screening irrelevant applications
• Uploading post-interview notes
• Managing back-and-forth with hiring stakeholders 

Automation tools, including AI, are already making an impact. For example, 27% of recruiters now use AI to help write job ads, and 25% use it to review CVs. These tools not only save time but also help eliminate human bias and inconsistency. 

3. Streamline candidate screening

The average recruiter receives 20 applications per vacancy, but only 50% of applicants are actually qualified. Despite this, recruiters spend 3.6 hours per role just screening CVs. 

Unsurprisingly, 72% of recruiters say screening irrelevant applications significantly slows them down. 

Fortunately, there are numerous ways to reduce this burden, such as: 

• Using screening questions to filter out unqualified candidates early
• Introducing smart resume parsing tools
• Clarifying role requirements more explicitly in job ads to avoid misaligned applicants

4. Improve stakeholder communication

Slow stakeholder feedback is another major bottleneck in the hiring process. 

Our research found that as many as 71% of recruiters cite delays from hiring managers as a key drag on time to hire. Time spent aligning on decisions, collecting feedback, and chasing approvals adds up to over 9 hours per vacancy. 

To overcome these delays, employers can establish a defined process for internal communication and expectations, including: 

• Scheduling fixed check-in points for feedback
• Using shared digital dashboards to track progress
• Pre-aligning on candidate criteria during intake meetings

5. Actively work to keep candidates engaged

A successful hiring process isn’t just about internal efficiency. It also needs to keep candidates engaged. 

As things stand, 28% of candidates drop off during the process, with the most common reasons being: 

• The process took too long (25%)
• Communication was unclear (23%)
• Role expectations weren’t clear (21%) 

As a result, employers need to work harder than ever before to keep candidates in the funnel and avoid drop-offs. This can be achieved by: 

• Offering clear timelines and regular updates
• Being transparent about role expectations and salary
• Using application status trackers, something 77% of candidates say would improve their experience

Candidate communication templates

Explore 10 essential email templates designed to streamline hiring updates and enhance the candidate experience

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6. Rethink the interview process

Employers often underestimate how much time is wasted during candidate interviews. 

We found that both SMEs and large organisations feel interview rounds are too long or too frequent. Follow-up work like feedback collation and coordination also adds further unnecessary delays to an already time-consuming process. 

Streamlining the process and implementing interviewing best practices can help reduce the time interviewing takes and ensure optimised hiring decisions. Employers should consider: 

• Limiting interviews to two rounds where possible
• Pre-agreeing evaluation criteria
• Assigning clear responsibilities for post-interview feedback

Uncover tips and techniques for conducting structured and productive interviews in our complete guide

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Faster hiring starts with smarter processes

Reducing time to hire doesn’t mean cutting corners. It means cutting waste. By using effective sourcing channels, automating admin, aligning internally, and keeping candidates engaged, employers can streamline recruitment and secure top talent faster.  

So, remember to evaluate where bottlenecks occur in your hiring process and implement tech or process changes where needed. The quicker you can make a confident offer, the more competitive your organisation becomes in the hiring landscape.