What is time-to-fill, and what's a realistic number?
Time-to-fill measures the days from opening a role to an accepted offer. For white-collar roles in Europe it commonly runs six to ten weeks with inbound-only hiring. Outbound work from an existing candidate market shortens the front of the funnel, which is usually the slowest part.
The metric hides its drivers: sourcing delay, interview logistics and offer negotiation. Teams that measure only the total number miss that the first ten days (getting real candidates into process) decide most of it.
Market intelligence sets expectations honestly: if only 400 people match the role within commuting distance, no process fixes a salary set 20% under market.