How Long is a Job Interview & Why Does the Time Vary?

Job interviews are an essential part of the hiring process, and their duration can vary widely based on several factors, including industry, job level, company size, and interview format. In 2025, job interviews range from as short as 15 minutes to multiple hours or even weeks-long processes (JobScore, 2025). Understanding why interviews take different lengths of time can help job seekers prepare effectively and set realistic expectations.

This article explores how long job interviews typically last, why the length varies, and what emerging trends influence interview durations in 2025. We will support our insights with current market statistics, case studies, and expert projections.

The duration of job interviews depends on the stage of the hiring process and the type of interview being conducted. Below are the average interview lengths in 2025:

Interview Type	Average Duration
Phone Screening	15-30 minutes
One-on-One Interviews	30-60 minutes
Panel Interviews	60-90 minutes
Technical Interviews	90-120 minutes
Case Study Interviews	2-4 hours
Job Fair Interviews	5-10 minutes
Executive-Level Interviews	2-3 hours
Full Hiring Process	4-6 weeks

According to JobScore (2025), over 52% of companies have an interview process that lasts between 4-6 weeks, often involving multiple interview rounds (JobScore, 2025).

The length of job interviews varies significantly across industries due to differences in required skills, job complexity, hiring processes, and employer expectations. The average interview length can range from as short as 15 minutes for retail roles to multi-hour assessments for executive or technical positions.

To start off, Tech and Engineering industries have an average interview of 4-8 hours as there are multiple rounds! The initial qualification is done by phone screening which takes around 30-45 minutes which is then followed by technical screening where candidates are given 60-90 minutes to complete a coding challenge or system design.

After successfully passing these rounds, the candidate goes through a behavior interview which lasts 60 minutes to assess whether they align with the culture and soft skills. The last step is onsite final interviews which could consist of multiple rounds with engineers, managers and executives and so can span from 2 hours to 4 hours.

An example of this are the FAANG companies (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) conduct 4–6 interview rounds, with 50% of candidates spending over 6 hours interviewing before receiving an offer (Design Gurus, 2025).

Moreover, 85% of software engineers undergo at least one live coding interview (LinkedIn, 2025). In addition to this, Microsoft’s average technical interview process lasts 4–6 weeks (Indeed, 2025).

On top of the facts just presented, a 2025 Indeed report found that tech companies with shorter interview processes (2–3 rounds) had a 15% higher candidate acceptance rate than those requiring 5+ interview rounds (Indeed, 2025).

Moving onto the finance and consulting industries where the average interview lengths can vary between 3 hours to 6 hours. The first step is for the candidates to be screened via phone where their resumes and qualifications are assessed in 30-45 minutes. The behavior interview is then conducted where the candidates leadership and teamwork skills are evaluated within 60 minutes.

The third stage is having the case study interview which can last anywhere between 2 hours to 4 hours and jobseekers have to solve real-world business problems. Lastly, candidates have to go through a vigorous Superday where they have an intensive day of interviews with multiple teams and these tend to go over four hours.

Investment banks like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase require 3–5 rounds of interviews (Genius Hiring Report, 2025). Furthermore, top consulting firms (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) conduct case study interviews lasting 2–4 hours per session(Harvard Business Review, 2024).

The average finance hiring process lasts 3–5 weeks, depending on the role level (LinkedIn, 2025). In addition to this, a 2025 Jobvite study found that candidates who successfully passed finance case study interviews took an average of 6.3 hours per interview round, often requiring multiple rounds over 5–6 weeks (Jobvite, 2025).

Meanwhile for Executive and Leadership positions, the average interview length is within the timespan of 3-5 hours per session. Common interview stages include the initial executive screening that occurs within 45 to 60 minutes.

Then, the executive candidate has to go through multiple rounds of stakeholder meetings, each lasting 90 minutes per session. Once they’re successful, they undergo the board and CEO interviews, lasting for two to three hours. Finally, there will be a presentation or business case, lasting 2-4 hours.

Thus, senior leadership roles require 5–7 interview rounds, lasting 4–6 weeks on average (LinkedIn, 2025). Executive hires often undergo “cultural fit” interviews with board members or investors, extending the process by 2–4 weeks (Harvard Business Review, 2024).

Hence, companies that are hiring C-suite executives invest over 20+ hours in total interview time per candidate (Jobvite, 2025). Furthermore, a 2025 LinkedIn Hiring Report found that senior executive interviews last, on average, 3 hours across multiple sessions, compared to entry-level job interviews, which typically last 45 minutes (LinkedIn, 2025).

With remote hiring becoming the norm, the duration and structure of job interviews have changed significantly. Remote interviews tend to be shorter per session but involve more rounds, while in-person interviews generally last longer per session but may require fewer rounds.

Interview Type	Average Duration	Number of Rounds	Key Features
Remote Interviews	30-45 minutes per session	3-5 rounds	Video calls, pre-recorded video interviews, AI-assisted assessments, online tests
In-Person Interviews	60-90 minutes per session	1-3 rounds	Office tours, hands-on assessments, meet-and-greet sessions

A 2025 TestGorilla study found that 82% of companies now use virtual interviews, but 70% of candidates prefer in-person interviews for better engagement and clarity (TestGorilla, 2025).

Remote interviews provide an efficient way of going about recruitment as there are no travel time, waiting periods or office logistics to deal with. Furthermore, pre-recorded video interviews and AI assessments shorten screening time along with hiring managers being able to conduct more interviews in a day.

However, companies compensate for the lack of in-person interactions by adding extra steps and so there are more rounds involved as candidates often go through cultural fit assessments along with technical roles requiring multiple virtual coding or case study assessments.

A 2025 Indeed Hiring Report found that remote interview processes average 4 rounds, while in-person processes average 2 rounds, due to additional online skill assessments and personality tests (Indeed, 2025).

In-person interviews tend to be longer since candidates participate in on-site facility tours and live assessments along with there being multiple team members as interviewers in a single session. Also because on-the-spot decision-making happens more frequently. Additionally, a 2025 LinkedIn Hiring Trends Report found that in-person interviews last, on average, 30% longer than remote interviews but involve fewer total rounds (LinkedIn, 2025).

Industry	Remote Interview Preference	In-Person Interview Preference
Tech & IT	90% Remote-first – Shorter but more rounds, AI-screened	Some final rounds may be in-person
Finance & Consulting	Mix of both – Remote for early rounds, in-person for final	Final case study rounds often in-person
Retail & Hospitality	Remote interviews for initial screening	In-person preferred for hiring decisions
Healthcare & Government	Limited remote hiring	Strict in-person preference for regulated roles

A 2025 Glassdoor Hiring Trends Report revealed that industries like tech and finance use remote interviews 75% of the time, while retail and healthcare still rely on in-person interviews for 80% of final hiring decisions (Glassdoor, 2025).

The length of job interviews varies significantly based on company size, structure, and hiring policies. Startups tend to move quickly with minimal interview rounds, whereas large corporations and government jobs require extensive, structured, and lengthy interview processes.

Starting with startups & small businesses, they tend to take 30–45 minutes per session and conduct 1–2 rounds which are fast-paced with minimal bureaucracy and quick decision-making. The reason why startups have faster hirings is because they prioritize speed as well as have flexible roles, therefore there is less of a need for extensive evaluation and candidates are usually hired within 1-2 weeks. The lesser amount of bureaucracy also entails that the founders usually make hiring decisions and fast.

In support of this, a 2025 Indeed report found that 78% of startup hires complete their interview process in under 2 weeks, compared to only 32% in large corporations (Indeed, 2025).

Whereas, large corporations generally spend 60–90 minutes on each session and have 4–6 rounds. They follow structured processes, consist of multiple approval levels and conduct panel interviews. It ends up taking much more time as multiple stakeholders are involved since each department needs to approve a candidate along with there being cross-department evaluations.

Additionally, larger organizations invest time in assessing long-term alignment as well as adhere to standardized hiring practices which only increase the process length. A 2025 LinkedIn Hiring Trends Report found that large corporations take an average of 36 days to complete their hiring process, compared to 15 days at small businesses (LinkedIn, 2025).

Meanwhile, government and academic institutions take the longest time to interview as they need to vigorously test the candidate and so take up to 90 minutes per session. They have multiple rounds over a course of several months as there is extensive vetting, background checks, and lengthy evaluations, especially for high-security roles.

Moreover, academic positions require faculty panel reviews, research evaluations, and administrative approvals along with having to comply with strict hiring regulations as government jobs must follow transparency and fairness guidelines. Further, public sector roles require extending screening times for background checks and security clearance.

Also, many government roles depend on funding approvals before hiring thus budget constraints slow them. A 2025 Glassdoor report found that government hiring takes an average of 78 days, compared to 30–40 days for private-sector roles (Glassdoor, 2025).

A 2025 SHRM survey found that 53% of job seekers report frustration with lengthy interview processes, with candidates waiting up to 2 months for final decisions in large organizations (SHRM, 2025).

Moving onto emerging trends, artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly influenced the hiring process by automating initial screenings, resume filtering, and candidate evaluation. Additionally, AI tools reduce interview duration by eliminating unnecessary rounds and optimizing candidate selection. To illustrate, AI now handles 95% of initial candidate screenings, reducing preliminary interview time by up to 20% (MSH, 2025).

Furthermore, AI-powered hiring assessments reduce recruiter workload by 30%, allowing faster decision-making (LinkedIn, 2025). Thus, it makes sense why 81% of companies shifted to skills-based hiring in 2024, as it led to faster interview processes (MSH, 2025).

A 2025 Harvard Business Review study found that companies using AI in hiring shortened their average hiring process by 25%, leading to higher candidate retention rates (Harvard Business Review, 2025).

There is a growing trend of pre-recorded videos for interviews. These one-way video interviews allow candidates to record responses at their convenience, eliminating scheduling conflicts and shortening the screening process. 70% of employers now use one-way video interviews for initial screenings (TalentMSH, 2025).

Moreover, pre-recorded interviews reduce the screening process from 30 minutes to 10–15 minutes (LinkedIn, 2025). In support of this, companies that use video interviews report a 40% increase in hiring efficiency (Jobvite, 2025).

To add onto this, companies that are utilizing one-way video interviews actually reduced their hiring process length by an average of 8 days, leading to higher candidate engagement rates (Jobvite, 2025).

Lastly, the time of response of hiring decisions have started to profoundly impact job acceptance rates. Companies making faster hiring decisions see higher acceptance rates because top candidates are less likely to accept competing offers. To provide context, companies making hiring decisions within 2 weeks increase candidate acceptance rates by 35% (Jobvite, 2025).

In addition to this, 60% of job seekers prefer employers who respond within 10 days of their final interview (Glassdoor, 2025) and delayed hiring decisions result in a 20% increase in candidate drop-off rates (LinkedIn, 2025).

A 2025 LinkedIn Hiring Trends Report found that companies implementing faster decision-making practices saw a 25% increase in offer acceptance rates, improving overall hiring efficiency (LinkedIn, 2025).

Ultimately, job seekers should prepare strategically based on their target industry’s hiring expectations. Understanding how long interviews typically last and why they vary can help candidates better manage their applications, schedule follow-ups effectively, and improve their chances of securing an offer. Meanwhile, companies that optimize their hiring processes without compromising quality will be in the best position to attract top talent in an increasingly competitive job market.