Median cycle time
12 days- Role definition: 1-2 days
- Shortlist + outreach: 2-3 days
- Interview loop: 4-6 days
- Offer and close: 2-3 days
Startup Hiring Velocity UK 2026
A practical benchmark for reducing engineering time-to-hire in UK startups.
Common bottlenecks
Top 3- Unclear role outcomes
- Compensation mismatch discovered too late
- Slow interviewer feedback loops
Fast-team playbook
< 14 days- One owner for hiring process
- Structured scorecard from day zero
- Decision SLA under 72 hours