Employers need to adapt to recruitment timeline expectations

A new survey has revealed that younger people expect a much quicker hiring process compared to older generations.

This could have a negative impact on employers looking to fill skills gaps, with many jobseekers losing interest in roles if they’ve not had a response within a certain timeframe.

The Gi Group’s 2025 Candidate Survey reports that jobseekers now expect fast and clear responses; however, the actual recruitment timeline can often take several weeks or months to complete.

Data shows that there’s not only a widening gap between jobseeker expectations and the pace of recruitment, but a generational divide too.

According to the survey, for those aged 18-25 years old, over half expect to hear back from a potential employer within seven days.

Older candidates, on the other hand, particularly those aged 55-64, have more patience – more than a third accept having to wait up to two weeks, and 12.6% are prepared to wait even longer as long as timelines are clearly communicated.

Commenting on the findings, Managing Director at Gi Group, Pete Taylor, said, “The implications of these statistics for HR and recruitment teams are stark. Failure to adapt to these shifting expectations could result in high drop-off rates and loss of high-calibre applicants to more responsive competitors.

“For organisations intent on attracting the best, accelerating recruitment processes and improving communication is essential.

“However, employers are looking to overcome their own obstacles during the recruitment process. The UK job market in 2025 is grappling with a complex set of challenges that are contributing to delays in the recruitment process. Economic uncertainties have led to cautious hiring practices, with many companies consolidating their workforces and hesitating to onboard new talent, therefore taking time during the hiring process to identify the best possible candidate.

“Simultaneously, the rise of AI-generated applications has inundated recruiters with a deluge of CVs that often lack authenticity. A significant number of job seekers are leveraging AI tools to craft their applications, resulting in uninteresting, standardised CVs, making it more challenging for hiring managers to identify genuine, qualified candidates.

“This is why a recruitment expert, embedded within the sectors it serves, is crucial to pairing the right candidates with the right role – and more and more importantly, within the right time frame.”

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