Yes. They are two clocks that stop at the same moment and start at different ones. Time to fill starts when the job order opens and ends when an offer is accepted. Time to hire starts when the candidate who gets hired first enters your pipeline, and ends at the same accepted offer. Time to fill measures the client's wait. Time to hire measures your process speed once you have the right person.
The two clocks, with an example
An order opens on day zero. The recruiter sources, screens and finds the right candidate on day nine. Interviews happen, an offer goes out, and the candidate accepts on day 22.
- Time to fill: day 0 to day 22. Twenty-two days.
- Time to hire: day 9 to day 22. Thirteen days.
The nine days between are the search. They count toward time to fill, but not toward time to hire.
Which one your client cares about
The client feels time to fill. They opened the order on day zero and had an empty seat until day 22. They do not know or care when the candidate entered your pipeline.
Time to hire is for you. If it is long, your process is slow once you have the person: slow screens, slow submittals, slow confirmations, slow client decisions. If it is short but time to fill is long, the search is the problem, or the order was taken badly and sourced twice.
What each number tells you to fix
| If this is long | The likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Time to fill, time to hire short | The search, or a vague order | Take the order in writing. Source for the must-haves. |
| Time to hire, time to fill about the same | Your process after sourcing | Check submittals before they go, name the decision-maker, confirm starts fast. |
| Both | Everything is slow | Start with the order. A clear order shortens both. |
A third number worth tracking
Neither clock tells you whether the placement held. A fast fill that falls off in week one is a bad fill with a good number. Track time to fill together with how many placements are still there after a week or a month. That pair tells the truth.
Where M-Tracker fits
Most of the gap between the two clocks is rework: a submittal that came back, a confirmation that left something out. M-Tracker checks each submittal against the written order before the client sees it, so fewer come back and time to hire gets shorter without anyone rushing. Managers see where each order is waiting, without a status call.
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Questions people ask
Which number should a staffing firm report to clients?
Time to fill, honestly, by type of order. And the share of fills that held past the first week.
Does time to hire include the client's interview time?
Yes. Everything between the candidate entering the pipeline and the accepted offer counts, including days the client took to decide.
Can time to hire be longer than time to fill?
No. It starts later and ends at the same point, so it is always shorter or equal.
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