You will generally receive a response from the hiring company or the human resources department a week or two after the interview, but the waiting time varies by sector. Take the necessary steps to first identify the best candidates in the market and then streamline the hiring process so that those candidates remain engaged until you can successfully recruit and hire them. This doesn't mean that one process is better than the other, but what is considered the best interview process is one that prioritizes the candidate's experience. The hiring process can vary from employer to employer, the type of job you apply for, and the industry in which you work.
If you take too long in the hiring process, if that process is fraught with lack of communication and feedback, and if that process stalls in any way, the candidate might consider it representative of your organization as a whole. Another inconvenience that could cause a delay in the job offer could be a formal human resources (HR) process that requires a human resources representative to approve a series of steps. It's possible that they haven't received a response from your references or that other candidates are still going through the interview process. If the process lasts longer than four weeks, the risk of losing those A-level candidates to another company increases dramatically.
Every company is different, but companies with the best hiring process that prioritizes the experience of their candidates will follow up faster than others. This is because, regardless of the economic environment, the search for the best candidates in the market must represent a process that includes constant communication, consistent feedback and a sense of urgency. For college graduates, the National Association of Universities and Employers (NACE) Recruiting Benchmarks Survey reports that employers who hire new college graduates take an average of 24 days to extend a job offer after an interview. The hiring process sometimes takes longer, and if certain interviews take longer than expected to be scheduled or if critical decision makers are absent, the process can be delayed even longer.
That's why we've created this blog to help illustrate the hiring process, including interview steps and deadlines, to help you feel comfortable. For example, Glassdoor reports that the job with the fastest interview process is that of a waiter with 10.2 days, while the slowest is that of a teacher with 60.3 days.