"Did they ghost me?" – Why does the hiring process take so long?

Patience you must have, my young job-seeking one!

You check your email again. It’s the tenth time today, true, but… Maybe this time?

Automatically, the last job interview starts replaying in your head – it wasn’t perfect, perhaps – but it went rather well, right? After all, the recruiter said they’d get back to you "soon."

But soon this promised "soon" turns into days, then weeks… and then radio silence.

Sound familiar? If so, then know that you’re not alone. According to the latest eRecruiter report, job seekers in Poland can wait up to 77 days for an offer – enough time to binge three TV series, question your career choices, and develop a Pavlovian flinch every time your phone buzzes with an email notification.

Looking for a job in today's economy is not unlike a Jedi training – at least, on the ‘Have patience' front.

But why does hiring take so long? And can companies actually fix it? Let’s dive into the eRecruiter Report data – and check what HR teams can do to speed things up.

Need for hiring speed: Not all sectors are created equal

Hiring timelines in Poland are not one-size-fits-all all – speed varies widely by sector. For example:

• Government organizations? They zip through the process, making offers within 9 days on average.
• Arts, entertainment and culture? Candidates can wait over a month for a response

From start to signed contract (a metric known as Time to Hire), timelines stretch to 77 days in some hospitality jobs, while the public sector impresses again with a median of just 19 days.

That’s a huge range – and it points to structural issues, not just candidate shortages.

Seasonality plays a role here, too. December saw the slowest movement: candidates waited 22 days for offers and companies needed 54 days to close hiring. So if you're applying during the holiday season – maybe don’t hold your breath.

Too long to decide? The hiring company might lose the best candidates

What is the number one pain point for recruiters?

Time, as it turns out.

According to the “Recruitment Effectiveness 2023” report, 59% of companies flagged lengthy recruitment as their biggest challenge – more so than even the shortage of qualified applicants (57%) (eRecruiter, 2025).

It gets worse in larger organizations. In companies with 250+ employees, 65% of HR professionals said that drawn-out processes were the top issue. Smaller firms fared slightly better, but 52% still agreed time was killing their vibe.

Unopened: a sad state of many job applications

What is even worse, though?

Nearly a quarter of applications never even get opened – and in sectors like arts and culture, less than half of CVs are reviewed. Turns out, more candidates ≠ better recruitment – unless your HR department is actually reading their emails.

Optimize, but don’t rush

There solutions seems simple, then: let’s just speed u the process!

But while on paper speeding things up sounds nice – in practice faster isn’t always better. Effective recruitment isn’t about being the HR equivalent of Usain Bolt. As the report stresses, It’s about smart process design.

Some delays stem from internal complexity: multi-stage approvals, manager bottlenecks, or unclear communication. Even the best system can't fix indecisiveness.

Technology to the rescue (No hero capes required)

Good news: tools exist to help with this. According to the Candidate Experience 2023/2024 report:

• 69% of employers believe tech improves candidate experience.
• 76% say it speeds things up.
• 70% of candidates agree new tools help the process feel quicker (eRecruiter, 2025).

Technology offers plenty of innovative solutions for recruitment. Think: video interviews, competency tests, chatbots, and voicebots. These aren’t gimmicks – they can prove to be efficient, scalable ways to keep the hiring process moving.

And let's not forget the human side: clear feedback, proactive communication, and involved hiring managers can make or break the process. Even the fanciest system can’t replace a human-to-human interaction.

Sorry, Alexa.

How can employers fix the prolonged hiring process?

To sum up all the points made above, it seems that we can pinpoint certain areas that can be the space for improvement:

• Track KPIs religiously – Where are the hiring process bottlenecks? Is it screening? Interviews? Approvals?
• Automate the right steps – The companies can use chatbots, video interviews, and skills tests to speed up early stages.
• Train hiring managers to act fast and give meaningful feedback.
• Keep candidates in the loop – Offer regular updates, and inform candidates in a timely fashion. Ghosting = lost trust (and lost talent). Because nobody should have to wait 77 days just to hear "We went with someone else."

But what can job seekers do?

Let’s be real: if a company takes 77 days to make a decision, your options are… limited.

Step 1: Be patient. (Ugh, fine.)
Step 2: Follow up politely.
Step 3: Apply elsewhere in the meantime.

Honestly, if you’ve survived the Polish hiring process, maybe put that on your CV: "Skills: Extreme delayed gratification, Advanced email-refresh reflexes."

You’ve already got the patience of a Jedi Master, so... perhaps the Order has some job openings in your area?

References:

eRecruiter. (2025). Oczekiwanie na ofertę pracy nawet dwa i pół miesiąca? Raport eRecruiter pokazuje, jak długo trwają rekrutacje w Polsce.
eRecruiter. (2023). Report Candidate Experience 2023/2024.
eRecruiter. (2025). Raport Rekrutacyjne KPI 2025.