Time to Fill

Time to Fill is the number of days from when a job requisition is opened or posted to when a candidate accepts an offer or is hired. It is a core recruitment metric that shows how quickly an organisation fills vacancies.

What is Time to Fill

In plain English, Time to Fill measures the length of the hiring cycle. Organisations must define the start point, commonly requisition approval or job posting, and the end point, often offer acceptance or hire date, to ensure consistent measurement.

How does it work

Calculate Time to Fill for each role and average across hires to track trends. Many factors influence the metric, including role complexity, sourcing channels, recruiter capacity, and market conditions.

Time to Fill = Date of Hire or Offer Acceptance minus Date Requisition Opened or Job Posted

Practical usage and examples

Teams use Time to Fill to optimise recruitment, resource planning, and workforce forecasting. Typical scenarios include:

• Talent acquisition comparing hiring speed by department to allocate recruiting resources.
• Hiring managers setting realistic timelines for critical roles.
• HR leaders assessing the impact of sourcing channels or employer branding on vacancy duration.

Related HR concepts

Time to Fill is closely related to Time to Hire, Cost per Hire, Vacancy Rate and Time to Productivity. Each metric supports better hiring decisions when used together.