According to Glassdoor, one of the world’s largest job and recruiting sites, job seekers in the UK spend an average of 27 days in an interview process when applying for a job. When considering that people move jobs, on average, six times in their life, this equates to over five months (162 days) spent in interview processes throughout their lifetime.
Glassdoor’s research finds that those seeking jobs in consulting face the longest interview process, with interviews at the Big Four averaging 55 days from first applying to receiving a decision. Deloitte leads the way with the longest interview process of 65 days from application to decision.
Consulting is followed by travel, where job seekers will face an average interview process of 49 days for a job. British Airways has the second longest interview process in Glassdoor’s research, at 59 days, and the second highest difficulty at 3.3 out of 5*. This is above the average interview difficulty on Glassdoor of 2.6. The airline industry, in particular, is known for its rigorous recruitment processes which can involve psychometric tests, assessment centres and health and safety tests, dependent on the role.
Job seekers in investment banking face an average interview process of 45 days – with those interviewing at Goldman Sachs having the longest process of the investment banks at 54 days. Applicants to Goldman Sachs can expect video interviews prior to in-person interviews with a number of different individuals at the company, based on both technical and soft skills.
Those in hospitality enjoy the shortest (10 days) and easiest (1.9) interview process.
UK industries with the longest & most difficult interviews:
| Industry | Average Interview Duration | Average Interview Difficulty |
| Consulting | 55 days | 3.1 (out of 5) |
| Travel & Tourism | 49 days | 3.1 (out of 5) |
| Investment Banking | 45 days | 3.1 (out of 5) |
| Technology | 40 days | 3.1 (out of 5) |
| Telecoms | 35 days | 2.9 (out of 5) |
| Finance | 31 days | 2.9 (out of 5) |
| Retail | 16 days | 2.4 (out of 5) |
| Hospitality | 10 days | 1.9 (out of 5) |
UK companies with the longest interviews:
| Company | Average Interview Duration | Average Interview Difficulty |
| Deloitte | 65 days | 3.1 (out of 5) |
| British Airways | 59 days | 3.3 (out of 5) |
| Salesforce | 54 days | 3.4 (out of 5) |
| Goldman Sachs | 54 days | 3.1 (out of 5) |
| EY | 53 days | 3.1 (out of 5) |
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