What is Time-to-Fill?
Time-to-fill is the number of days between a requisition opening and a candidate actually starting in the role, covering the entire hiring process from posting through onboarding start date.
Why does Time-to-Fill matter?
Time-to-fill is one of the most closely watched recruiting metrics because a longer fill time means lost productivity, overworked teams, and in staffing, delayed revenue from an unfilled placement.
How does Time-to-Fill work?
Recruiting teams and ATS reporting calculate time-to-fill by tracking the date a requisition is opened and the date the selected candidate’s start date occurs, then averaging that across roles, departments, or recruiters to spot trends.
Frequently asked questions
How is time-to-fill different from time-to-hire?
Time-to-hire measures from a candidate’s application to their offer acceptance; time-to-fill measures from the requisition opening to the candidate’s actual start date, a slightly longer window.
What is considered a good time-to-fill?
Benchmarks vary significantly by industry and role type, but many organizations target under 30 to 45 days for most roles, with specialized or executive roles taking longer.
How BrightMove helps
BrightMove’s Wisdom analytics platform reports time-to-fill by role, client, and recruiter, so agencies can see exactly where the process slows down. See BrightMove’s recruiting analytics.