Time to Fill

Date created: Oct 12, 2022  •   Last updated: Oct 12, 2022

What is Time to Fill

Time to Fill is the amount of time it takes a Human Resources Team to fill an open position. It can indicate where HR teams can make process improvements. It can also demonstrate changes in the hiring market.

Time to Fill Formula

ƒ Sum(days to fill each open role) / Count(roles hired)

How to calculate Time to Fill

Role 1 hired: 25 days Role 2 hired: 40 days Role 3 hired: 35 days Average Time to Fill = (25d + 40d + 35d) / 3 hires = 33.33 days per hire.

Start tracking your Time to Fill data

Use Klipfolio PowerMetrics, our free analytics tool, to monitor your data.

Get PowerMetrics Free
Klipfolio dashboard image

What is a good Time to Fill benchmark?

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the global average for any position is 42 days. To fill engineering roles the average is 59 days.

How to visualize Time to Fill?

Use a summary chart to visualize your Time to Fill data and compare it to a previous time period.

Time to Fill visualization example

Time to Fill

7 days

arrow-right icon

0.75

vs previous period

Summary Chart

Here's an example of how to visualize your current Time to Fill data in comparison to a previous time period or date range.
arrow-right icon
arrow-right icon

Time to Fill

Chart

Measuring Time to Fill

More about Time to Fill

The method for measuring this metric depends on your starting point. For example, you could begin with when a job opening is approved or when a job is advertised.

The total number of working days it takes for all roles to be filled is divided by the number of roles hired. Note that you shouldn’t include positions that are ongoing or always open in this formula because it would artificially inflate the average number of days.

It should be noted that Time to Hire is a different metric and is used to measure the speed at which you "win" a selected candidate. For example, it may take an average of 42 days between posting a job opening and filling it, However, the average time between spotting your ideal candidate and them accepting your offer is often less than 10 days.

You can lower your average Time to Fill duration by using templates to improve your job descriptions and refining your employer brand within your target audience (for example, by hosting events or working with local schools). You can also train your hiring managers to work faster and more efficiently.

Metric Toolkit