How Many Candidates Are Invited for an Interview Generally?

The number of candidates invited for an interview can vary widely depending on several factors, including the company, the position, and the industry. Generally, companies might invite about 5 to 10 candidates for interviews after narrowing down applications. However, this number can be lower for highly competitive positions and higher for entry-level roles.

Factors Influencing the Number of Interview Candidates

It varies widely based on many factors as you might imagine. For lower-level positions, a company might interview one person and hire them on the spot. For more complex and high-stakes positions, a company might interview dozens of people.

In a tight labor market, where it’s hard to hire people, firms might interview only a few candidates. Here are some general statistics to consider:

For every one hundred applicants to a job, twenty will get subjected to a phone screen with the recruiter. Of those twenty, maybe ten will be passed on to the hiring manager as 'fundamentally qualified.' The hiring manager will select between three and all ten of them to interview.

On average, about one of them will get the job. In my experience, between three and ten people get interviewed for technical or white-collar jobs. Everyone wants the number to be as close to one as possible, but sometimes hiring managers change their minds, situations change, or it's just not possible.

Industry-Specific Insights

The number of candidates invited for an interview can also vary based on the industry and the position. For example, in the technology sector, companies often invite 2.5 to 3 times the number of vacancies to fill up for each candidate to go through a personality test. This ensures a robust selection pool.

U.S. Market Trends

In the U.S., in the past year and before the pandemic, many companies and recruiters stopped looking at applications and resumes after they got an initial batch of 25 qualified candidates. From that group of 25, they often contacted an initial group of five to seven candidates to schedule initial phone or in-person interviews. It's important for you to be in that initial group of the first twenty-five applications submitted.

Overall, the key is to understand that the number of candidates invited for interviews can vary greatly. Companies aim to find a manageable number of candidates who meet the qualifications for the position and can be assessed effectively in the interview process.

Keywords: job interview, candidate selection, interview process