Job interviews are getting longer — here’s why it could be a red flag

A pre-screen with quality resources. A telephone with the hiring manager. Followed by six half-hour interviews that stretched crossed 3 days. 

That's not each — a written lawsuit survey exercise, earlier yet different interrogation with the hiring manager. 

And finally: 1 past circular with the CEO. 

That makes a full of 9 interviews, for a occupation that 32-year-old Ayomi Samaraweera said she did not yet get. 

"I enjoyed each the conversations I had with the squad but the process was draining and determination wasn't immoderate clarity astir compensation of the relation upfront," she told CNBC Make It. 

"Or clarity of what the process would look similar from my archetypal HR telephone — for example, they didn't notation determination would beryllium a lawsuit study."

Samaraweera's vexation successful her occupation hunt is not an isolated incident.

Experts that CNBC Make It spoke to said they've observed a "significant increase" successful the fig of occupation seekers facing an extended interrogation process implicit the past year. 

"It seems to beryllium a increasing inclination crossed assorted industries, with candidates being subjected to much rounds of interviews and rigorous investigating than ever before," said Steven Leitch, a vocation manager and resume expert.

According to a June study from the Josh Bersin Company and AMS, a workforce solutions firm, the magnitude of clip it takes to prosecute a caller worker reached "an all-time high" successful 2023. 

The study showed that average time-to-hire rates for the archetypal 4th of 2023 accrued crossed each industries by 1 time — pushing the recruitment process to 44 days connected average.

"As our information shows, clip to prosecute has risen consistently for the past 4 years. Make nary mistake, the hiring marketplace is not going to get easier immoderate clip soon," said Jim Sykes, planetary managing manager of lawsuit operations astatine AMS, successful a statement.

While determination is "no circumstantial formula" for an acceptable fig of interviews, individuals CNBC spoke to said that 3 to 5 rounds is tenable for non-managerial positions. 

"This allows companies to measure candidates from antithetic perspectives portion respecting the candidate's clip and maintaining an businesslike hiring process," said Leitch. 

But the increasing improvement of lengthy interviews reflects the highly competitory nature of the existent occupation market, helium added. 

"With the emergence of distant enactment and a larger excavation of endowment accessible to companies, they are progressively cautious and seeking much ways to measure candidates thoroughly." 

Economic uncertainty has besides created an ambiance of anxiousness for companies, particularly with hiring, said Richard Lambert, a resume and workplace expert.

"Hiring, onboarding, and grooming is an costly process and companies privation to beryllium definite they're getting the close campaigner from the outset." 

He added that companies whitethorn beryllium adopting longer interrogation processes to "ideally destruct bias" and make a much equitable hiring landscape.

"With much being asked of a campaigner via interrogation appearances … much information tin beryllium collected, frankincense creating a much broad valuation of the candidate," helium added.

"While it mightiness look similar a occupation successful and of itself to person to spell done each of this — it is fairer." 

Sometimes the reply to lengthy interviews tin beryllium arsenic elemental arsenic companies "not knowing what they want," said Amy Zimmerman, the main radical serviceman of Relay Payments.

"Or they don't person support to prosecute yet truthful they're dilatory rolling — truthful they're including excessively galore radical successful the process arsenic a mode to fig retired what spread they're really trying to fill," she added. 

"That's wherefore recruiters are haphazardly adding steps to the interrogation process and it's a unspeakable campaigner experience."

It was a akin acquisition for Samaraweera, who said she did not perceive backmost from the institution she interviewed for "over 4 weeks" contempt aggregate chaser emails. 

"When they did yet respond it was to accidental the scope of the relation was shifting owed to interior changes and they were pausing hiring for the relation astatine this time," she added. 

This company's "changing extremity post" was a reddish emblem for Samaraweera, who said it indicated nary interior alignment successful the institution — which tin origin problems successful the occupation itself. 

"They did extremity up hiring idiosyncratic for this relation 4 months later, and past the relation was made redundant a further 3 months later. I deliberation it was a blessing successful disguise that I did not permission my occupation for this role."

Monica Revuelta, a task manager who precocious went done 5 rounds of interviews implicit 4 months said that lengthy interviews go problematic erstwhile companies are not responsive oregon transparent astir the process. 

"How a institution presents itself during the interrogation process is precise telling astir the institution civilization arsenic a whole," she added. 

"It whitethorn origin the campaigner to deliberation astir however this reflects connected the company's priorities ... communication, and the worth it places connected people. Remember you are interviewing the institution arsenic overmuch arsenic they are interviewing you," Revuelta said.

Companies should enactment that achy and agelong recruitment processes tin backfire connected them arsenic well. 

"Prolonged hiring procedures tin pb to campaigner frustration, disengagement, and adjacent withdrawal from the process," said Leitch.

"This tin effect successful the nonaccomplishment of apical endowment who whitethorn person offers from different companies portion waiting for a decision." 

Zimmerman said that yet occupation seekers are already managing occupation hunt similar a "side hustle," which tin beryllium a stressful process successful itself.

"A transparent interrogation acquisition from a imaginable aboriginal leader would beryllium a large archetypal measurement successful gathering involvement and loyalty."

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