How Long Does It Take a Staffing Agency to Fill a Position?

If you’re an employer with an open role, you’re usually asking one question first: “How fast can we get someone in the door?”
The honest answer is: it depends on the role, the urgency, and how clear the requirements are. But in many cases, a staffing agency can fill positions significantly faster than a traditional hiring process—because the sourcing, screening, and coordination are already built into the process.

At Action Staffing, we help employers in the Roswell/Metro Atlanta area fill roles across warehouse, administrative, customer service/call center, accounting, legal, help desk, medical front office, office services, and government positions. We support temporary staffing, temp-to-hire, internships, and full-time placements—so you can choose the hiring path that fits your business.
Below is a practical breakdown of typical staffing timelines, what affects speed, and what you can do to get the role filled faster.

Typical timelines: how long it takes to fill a position

Here are realistic ranges for many staffing scenarios. (Exact timing depends on role details and candidate availability.)

Temporary roles (often fastest)

Many temp roles can be filled in:

  • Same day to a few days for common, high-volume positions
  • 3–7 days for more specific skill requirements or shift constraints

Temp staffing moves quickly because the goal is immediate coverage—especially for call-outs, seasonal spikes, or urgent workload increases.

Temp-to-hire roles (fast, with a built-in evaluation period)

Temp-to-hire roles are often filled in:

  • 3–10 business days in many cases

The “hire” portion happens after the candidate proves fit on the job. This can reduce the risk of a bad hire while still getting someone working quickly.

Internships (variable)

Internships can take:

  • 1–3 weeks, depending on timing, school schedules, and role requirements

Internships usually require more coordination around start dates and availability.

Full-time/direct hire roles (longer, but still faster than many internal processes)

Full-time placements often take:

  • 2–6 weeks, depending on role complexity and decision-making speed

That said, a staffing partner can often shorten this timeline by presenting pre-screened candidates and managing the process end-to-end.

What impacts how fast a staffing agency can fill your role?

A few factors make the biggest difference.

1) How specific the requirements are

The more specialized the role, the more time it can take to find the right match. For example:

  • A general warehouse associate role may move quickly
  • A niche accounting, legal, or help desk role may take longer

Clear “must-haves” help us move faster than long wish lists.

2) Shift, schedule, and pay alignment

Even great candidates won’t move forward if the schedule or compensation doesn’t match the market. Things that can slow hiring:

  • Overnight or weekend-only shifts without shift differential
  • Pay that’s below market for required experience
  • Unclear overtime expectations
  • Long commutes without flexibility

If you want speed, we’ll help you align the role with what candidates are actually accepting right now.

3) Screening requirements (background checks, drug screens, skills tests)

Compliance steps are often necessary, but they add time. Common requirements that affect timeline:

  • Background checks
  • Drug screens
  • Employment verification
  • Skills assessments (typing, software, etc.)
  • Certifications or clearance requirements (common in government roles)

We’ll build these steps into the timeline so you know what to expect.

4) Interview process length and decision speed

One of the biggest “hidden” delays is internal decision-making. If your process includes:

  • Multiple interview rounds
  • Long gaps between interviews
  • Delayed feedback
  • Too many stakeholders

…then the timeline expands, and you risk losing top candidates to faster-moving employers.

A simple way to speed up hiring: commit to feedback within 24–48 hours after interviews.

5) Job description clarity

Vague job descriptions create mismatches and slow everything down. Clear descriptions help us recruit faster because we can target the right candidates immediately. The most helpful details include:

  • Core responsibilities (top 5–7)
  • Required experience and skills
  • Work environment (on-site, hybrid, remote)
  • Schedule, shift, overtime expectations
  • Pay range (even a range helps)
  • Start date urgency

How Action Staffing helps you fill roles faster (without sacrificing quality)

Speed is important—but quality is what keeps your business running smoothly. Our approach is designed to move quickly while still protecting you from costly mis-hires.

Thorough screening before we send candidates
We focus on presenting only qualified candidates—so you’re not wasting time interviewing people who aren’t a fit.

Candidate sourcing that doesn’t rely on “posting and hoping”
We actively recruit and maintain a network of candidates across multiple industries and job types, which helps shorten the search.

Hands-on coordination
Scheduling interviews, communicating expectations, and keeping the process moving is a major part of why staffing can be faster than internal hiring.

Flexible hiring options
Not every role needs the same approach. Temp, temp-to-hire, internship, and full-time placements each solve different problems—and choosing the right model can reduce time-to-fill.

How to reduce time-to-fill (employer checklist)

If you want to fill a position quickly, here are the biggest levers you can control:

  1. Define 3–5 “must-have” requirements (not 15)
  2. Share pay range and schedule details up front
  3. Be ready to interview within 48–72 hours
  4. Limit interviews to 1–2 rounds when possible
  5. Provide feedback quickly after interviews
  6. Move fast on offers—top candidates don’t stay available long

If you’re unsure what’s realistic for your role, we can advise based on local market conditions.

What roles can we help you fill?

Action Staffing supports employers hiring for:

Whether you need immediate coverage or you’re building a long-term team, we’ll help you choose the right staffing approach.

Need to fill a position quickly? Let’s talk.

If you’re hiring and you want a clear timeline and a streamlined process, Action Staffing is ready to help. We’ll learn what you need, move quickly to source and screen candidates, and present strong matches so you can hire with confidence.

related news & insights.