Tech roles are notorious for lengthy hire times. Can we change that?

May 20, 2026 – Published on IT Brew

According to a recent April report, the average technical hire needed 23.3 hours of collective interview time in Q1 2026. In comparison, the average business hire took only 12.2 hours of interview hours. Of the technical roles examined in the report (data, product management, engineering, design, and IT and security), data roles were the timeliest investment for recruiters, requiring an average of 24.9 interview hours per hire.

IT Brew asked several tech leaders about how the hiring process could be shortened for candidates. Gary Brickhouse, CISO at GuidePoint Security, said leaders can start by crafting job descriptions that accurately convey what they’re seeking in a candidate.

“That is where we can set good expectations from the very beginning, so…you’re getting better candidates from the beginning based on that,” Brickhouse said. “Not to mention, it helps the people who are doing the interview.”

While some interview rounds can’t be cut from the process, Brickhouse added that organizations can have multiple leaders sit in on interviews to condense the amount of rounds candidates go through.

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