​In today’s candidate-driven market, speed when hiring is essential, not just a ‘nice to be able to do’. It is one of the biggest proven factors of hiring success. Over the last few years, one pattern has shown up again and again - candidates who are seen and progressed within 10-days consistently outperform those who aren’t.

From higher offer acceptance rates to faster onboarding.

The 10-Day Advantage: From CV To Offer

When candidates move from uploading their CV to interview (and ideally to offer) within 10-days, outcomes dramatically improve.

In our experience:

• 8 out of 10 candidates that progressed within 10 days go on to receive an offer.

• Candidates seen after the 10-day mark are significantly more likely to drop out, disengage, or accept competing offers.

• Faster processes show the candidates that the company are decisive, have clarity, and are genuinely interested… all things people value highly.

When this process stretches to 3-4 weeks, the candidate has often:

• Taken another interview elsewhere.

• Mentally “checked out”.

• Or simply lost momentum and excitement.

Speed keeps energy high, and energy keeps good talent!

Fast Doesn’t Mean Rushed

Speed and time to hire doesn’t stop at the offer stage. We can ensure that onboarding can follow just as smoothly. We have our own on-boarding team here at Ben Williams Recruitment and can support with obtaining references, DBS Certificates, ID documents and paperwork.

We’ve seen candidates:

• Interviewed, offered, and fully onboarded within 7-10 working days (with all checks completed).

• Contracts issued within 24 hours of verbal offer.

• Background checks and paperwork completed before enthusiasm cools off.

The result? Candidates arrive on day one excited, confident, and already connected to the business. It’s all about making sure the candidate is kept at their height of excitement.

Why Seeing Candidates More Than Once Matters

Another factor that we’ve noticed across the board is keeping in check with the candidate multiple times.

Candidates who meet the team more than once, even briefly, are far more likely to:

• Feel invested in the role.

• Build trust with the team.

• Visualise themselves in the business.

When a candidate is only seen once at their interview, the relationship starts late and remains transactional. But when they have:

• An initial conversation.

• A follow-up face to face interview.

• Informal check-ins.

• Ongoing communication during the process about where their onboarding is up to.

…the dynamic shifts. It becomes personal and familiarity builds confidence on both sides.

Time-To-Hire and Drop-Off Rate

We know that time to hire is one of the biggest reasons that a candidate will drop-off.

The longer the process, the more likely candidates are to ‘ghost’ or get fed-up with the wait, the higher chance they accept another offer and the more uncertainty creeps in.

Data consistently shows that candidates interviewed and offered within 10 days are far more likely to accept and actually start than those who wait longer.

Simply put, fast offers stick, slow offers slip.

The Bottom Line

Making your hiring process a success isn’t just about finding the right candidate, it’s about making sure everything is done within a timely manner, and the height of excitement isn’t left behind too far.

When candidates are seen quickly, engaged with multiple times, and progressed with decisions being made promptly, they are more likely to accept, more likely to start, and more likely to stay.

In a sector where top talent has options, the 10-day window isn’t just an efficiency benchmark, it’s a competitive advantage!

If you are looking for staff to hire and want support with keeping the speed up, get in touch and we can explain in further detail how we support with finding the right candidates, to getting them onboarded, and getting them started.