Of all candidates an employer meets in a first interview, 72% go no further. That is the finding of an IPMERC process analysis from August 2026, based on process data from recruitment agencies. Those who do pass the first interview have a good chance after that: around 65% of candidates in a second interview are hired.
The same share everywhere
The most striking part is what does not differ. The 72% is the same in all twelve IT markets IPMERC follows, and hardly differs between junior and senior. A drop-out rate that is equally high everywhere is rarely down to the candidates themselves. IPMERC calls it a structural problem in preselection.
Of all candidates an employer gets to see, 28% reach the second interview. Around 18% are eventually hired. From intake to hire takes 47 days on average, with a median of 39. One in ten processes takes longer than 90 days.
The first interview is the most expensive step
Every first interview costs a hiring manager preparation, an hour of conversation and the feedback. At 72% drop-out, three in four of those hours yield nothing. The work that prevents the drop-out happens earlier: in the intake of the vacancy and in selecting whom an employer gets to see.
What you can do
- Agree at the start which three or four requirements are decisive, and which are preferences.
- Ask for the reason after every rejection in the first interview, and adjust the selection to it.
- Check salary, travel time and availability before the first interview. Otherwise they only surface afterwards.
- Track per vacancy how many candidates reach the second interview. If it stays below one in three, go back to the intake first.
Source: IPMERC, 72% of candidates do not get past the first interview (August 2026).
Pearson & Partners locates and qualifies candidates on the requirements that decide the first interview.