These Are The Cities With The Fastest And Slowest Hiring Processes

Possibly the most agonizing part of the job search process is the waiting time between the interview and when the hiring manager makes a final decision. As a candidate, there are a few things you can do during that window to boost your chances of getting an offer, but that period is lengthy for a reason.

Recent research from Glassdoor looked at nearly 84,000 reviews of job interviews in the U.S. and 24 other countries, breaking them down by city and industry. Among the cities with the slowest hiring processes, with averages approaching 40 days, are São Paolo and Paris. This is due, in part, to differences in labor-market regulations that tend to gum up the process.

View full chart here. [Image: Glassdoor]

In the U.S., cities like Washington, D.C., and Albany, New York (tied at 33.2 days) are the slowest to hire, followed by Richmond, Virginia; Hartford, Connecticut; and San Jose, California. Industry plays a big role in the slowdown in D.C., which is home to federal government agencies that typically move more slowly through hiring processes. The quickest is Kansas City, Kansas (16.9 days), which is a noted hub for rail transportation, manufacturing, and distribution. Although the tech industry is rife with fast-growing startups, hiring in tech averages about 24 days, which is why San Jose ranks among the slower cities.

Globally, several cities in India pull candidates through the interview process between nine and 16 days on average. That’s largely because IT staffing agencies are filling tech roles with college grads at fast-growing Indian tech employers.

Glassdoor also put together a “Best Places to Interview” list this year, essentially a “candidate’s choice” ranking. That list factored in the average length of the interview process, but also included job seekers’ input on the difficulty of their interviews, among other things–which you’ll want to consider as well before packing your bags. You can see that full list of employers here.

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