Why Time-to-fill Matters
The measure can reveal vacancy ageing, planning delays and process capacity. A faster result does not establish a better hire, and an overall average can hide reopened requisitions, evergreen roles, cancelled demand, scarce skills and long notice periods that require different action.
Terms Recruiters Commonly Compare
Time-to-hire
Time-to-hire often measures from a candidate-specific entry or application to acceptance. Time-to-fill usually begins with the organisation’s vacancy or requisition event.
Vacancy age
Vacancy age is the elapsed time for a role that remains open at the reporting date. Time-to-fill is completed only when the stated filling event occurs.
Recruitment Example
A finance team reports a 63-day median from requisition approval to accepted offer. Stage timing shows that 24 days occur between final interview and approved offer because compensation exceptions are reviewed monthly. Leaders change the approval cadence rather than raising recruiter outreach targets.
Example event definition
If approval is recorded on 2 March and the candidate accepts on 31 March, an elapsed-calendar calculation must specify whether the start day, end day or both are counted. The organisation should encode that convention once rather than allow spreadsheets to decide it differently.
Implementation Playbook
- Publish the starting event, ending event, calendar or working-day basis, timezone and treatment of pauses.
- Define how reopened, duplicated, evergreen, cancelled and multi-hire requisitions enter the cohort.
- Report median, range and ageing bands alongside an average when vacancy times are skewed.
- Segment by role family, level, location and hiring model without comparing tiny groups as stable benchmarks.
- Pair speed with candidate experience, fair outcomes, acceptance, start and quality evidence.
Common Mistakes
- Comparing approval-to-offer data with posting-to-start data under the same label.
- Stopping the clock during an internal delay without showing the pause separately.
- Counting a cancelled requisition as an instant or successful fill.
- Rewarding speed in a way that discourages accessible scheduling or careful assessment.
Metrics to Track
Questions Recruiters Ask
How is time-to-fill calculated?
Subtract the date of the defined start event from the date of the defined fill event using the agreed calendar convention. Document exclusions and pause handling with the result.
Should time-to-fill end at offer acceptance or start date?
Either can be used if named consistently. Offer acceptance isolates more of the selection process, while candidate start includes notice and pre-employment time. Many teams track both.
What is a good time-to-fill?
There is no universal number. Compare like roles and periods, understand service needs and bottlenecks, and ensure improvement does not compromise candidate access, decision quality or safety.
Sources and Review
ATZ CRM Recruitment Editorial Review · Reviewed 2026-08-05
Use This Term While Preparing a Vacancy
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