This week I have spent some time with applicants that have been submitted to roles and after 3/4 weeks are still waiting for feedback… I decided to look at the country’s average time it takes to get a job…. it makes for interesting reading!!
For a job applicant, the path to getting an offer can seem endless. First you wait to have your CV acknowledged, then you wait to get called for an interview (or several), and finally you wait to find out if you landed the gig. Just how long does the whole process take?
Overall, the average job-search process takes just over six weeks— 43 days, to be exact— but that varies considerably by industry. Jobs are filled most quickly by hospitality and retail employers, at 36 and 40 days, respectively. Healthcare jobs are getting a lot of buzz because the industry is growing rapidly, but job seekers should be prepared to wait it out: It takes just over two months — 65 days, on average — for healthcare employers to fill positions.
That 43-day average is also low for people looking for a high-level jobs with either “vice president” or “director” in the title take a lengthy 76 days to fill. That’s even longer than the 71 days it takes to fill C-level jobs. If you’re just starting out in the workforce but have your sights set on the management track, you’ll also need to be patient, because even assistant role take an average of 53 days to be filled.
An average of 59 people apply for each open position, but only 12% manage to snag an interview. If you make it through the interview, your fortunes get a little better: 17% of applicants who are interviewed are offered a job. That part of the process takes an average of more than three weeks, so be patient. And even if you aren’t a company’s first pick, there’s reason to hold out hope, because roughly one in 10 people who are offered a job turn it down
It is taking over 23% longer than 8 years ago to get a job. Interview time slots have also increased and on average are 1.5 hours longer since 2008
The level of testing during the application process has increased, too. Five years ago, 14% of roles required some form of psychometric, technical or aptitude test, a figure which has now more than doubled to 29%.
My advise to my candidates is to be patient, I am fully open about the time the process will take and keep my candidates updated weekly on where they are in the process.
