6 Rounds, No Offer

The candidate was excited: A recruiter had called him, letting him know that he was a perfect fit. Then came the first-round interview, which concluded with both him and the interviewer grinning. Soon came emails suggesting he meet future teammates, which he did. Then came a second-round interview that went really well. Then more meetings. The hiring manager insisted that he was still interested. But the candidate kept wondering: Was he ever going to get hired?

Firms have become notorious for slow hiring processes in recent years, but the latest round of extended delays is wearing out the patience and nerves of candidates by the millions. According to figures from Indeed, between late 2022 and November 2025, the average time from a job posting to a hire increased by over 65%, from 29 to 48 days. And 2026 isn’t looking any better: In recent weeks, the war in Iran has led to further hiring freezes, as many businesses with global ties tread conservatively. Add on the uncertainty surrounding AI, and the drain on candidates only grows. “It’s painful, oh yeah,” says JP Sniffen, practice leader at the Military Center of Expertise at Korn Ferry. “It’s happening even at lower job levels, where we used to do hiring pretty quickly.”

To be sure, it’s hard to second-guess firms that are stalling, given all the global uncertainty. And at times in the past, companies have had to drag out the hiring process. Common rationales include an imminent executive changeover; job postings that are purely speculative (i.e., for possible future needs); and pauses in anticipation of upcoming layoffs. The most frequent reason for dragging out a hire is team-budget overspills. “Managers like keeping a role open, because then they meet their budget numbers,” says Kate Shattuck, managing partner at Korn Ferry.

But for HR departments, which are often caught in the middle of these situations, the delays have required some fast shuffling. This might involve the addition of new, previously undisclosed interview rounds (“Oh, you should definitely do an interview with the CFO”). It could involve group interviews requiring the coordination of multiple busy schedules (“Tom is in Japan, and then Sue is in Canada—how’s three weeks from today?”). It might abruptly call for assessments or legal reviews (“This will take 14 to 20 business days to evaluate”). Or maybe it means routing all communication through HR, rather than a recruiter or hiring manager, so that every message becomes a game of telephone (“As a formality, all conversation needs to go through HR”).

Unsurprisingly, experts say, the mixed signals are confusing to candidates. Disqualification, it turns out, often comes quickly, while ambiguity drags on and on. This is a uniquely American predicament in some ways. In the Netherlands, for example, communication around hiring process delays is more direct. “I live in a country that does not play theater well or often,” says global-energy expert Marnix Boorsma, senior client partner in the Amsterdam office of Korn Ferry. “There will be a simple message, neither long nor explanatory.” Examples include, “We need more time” or “We will revert in four weeks.” Because direct communication is trusted, candidates know that they are still in the running.

In the US, job seekers often conclude that they’re being “kept warm” so that other candidates can be pursued—when they may in fact be the lead candidate. Firms risk losing talented candidates who find other options. “Drawing out the hiring process is definitely a problem for many clients already,” says organizational strategist Maria Amato, senior client partner at Korn Ferry. She advises against delays in favor of building a strong relationship for potential future jobs. “We want to keep the conversation going, and keep them engaged—but stop short of dangling a job just out of reach,” she says. A company’s strategies might include continuing to interact, letting candidates know of likely future positions, and sharing relevant news—all of which prevent candidates from feeling forgotten. “If you’re attending a job fair, personally invite them to attend,” says Amato.

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