How do I cut time to fill without lowering candidate quality?
Most time to fill is lost waiting: for intake details, for client feedback, for interview slots.
- Roles take too long to fill.
- Clients are slow to give feedback.
- Where do we lose time?
Measure each stage: intake to first shortlist, shortlist to interview, interview to offer. Run a tight intake call with must-haves, salary and interview dates booked in advance. Search your own database first, screen fast with structured questions, and agree a feedback deadline with the client. Track days to fill and submittal-to-interview rate.
Where time goes
| Stage | Common delay | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Intake | Vague requirements | Structured intake call |
| Sourcing | Starting from scratch | Database search first |
| Screening | Phone tag | Booking links and short screens |
| Client feedback | Days of silence | Agreed feedback deadline |
| Interviews | No slots | Dates held at intake |
How we look at it at ShoutEx
We set up intake forms, scheduling and stage reporting in your ATS. See interview scheduling.
- No stage data.
- Vague intake.
- Job boards before your database.
- No feedback deadline.
- Stage times tracked.
- Structured intake.
- Database first.
- Agreed feedback times.
What recruiters and regulators say
Here is what recruiters say.
Ontario employers with 25 or more employees must tell interviewed applicants about decisions within 45 days.
Read the summary →Community summaries describe recurring themes in public threads, not individual posts. Vendor pages describe vendor claims, so test them on your own calls.
Read next
Go deeper in the ShoutEx guides, or check the sources behind this answer.
We'll set up stage tracking and scheduling.
Book a call →Follow-up questions
What's a good time to fill?
It depends on the role. Track your own.
Can AI source candidates?
It can search and rank. Recruiters decide.
Should we charge more for urgent roles?
Some agencies do.