Cohort Hiring to Reduce Time to Fill

Shannon Ogborn here, your host of Offer Accepted! In this episode of Offer Accepted, I sat down with Anna Hall Lead GTM Recruiter at Ashby to explore how cohort hiring can significantly improve hiring outcomes for talent teams. Anna, a seasoned recruiter and process optimization expert, shares how this structured approach to hiring creates efficiency, improves candidate experience, and reduces time-to-fill, all while giving hiring managers greater visibility into the pipeline.

We also break down the key components of successful cohort hiring, how to avoid common pitfalls, and the tangible business impact of this approach. If you’ve been curious about applying cohort hiring beyond evergreen roles, this episode is packed with actionable insights to get you started. Here are my top takeaways:

Takeaway 1: Cohort hiring reduces TTF ?

Cohort hiring accelerates hiring timelines by batching candidate evaluations, ensuring decisions are made with a full view of the talent pool. Instead of waiting for an undefined 'perfect fit,' teams can confidently move forward with the best available candidates in a structured timeframe. By assessing candidates as a group rather than one by one, teams can make faster, more confident hiring decisions while maintaining a high bar for talent.?

Why It Matters:

With hiring speed as a competitive advantage, cohort hiring allows teams to fill roles faster while maintaining quality and consistency. It also helps hiring managers avoid the common pitfall of waiting for a “better” candidate, instead making decisions with full pipeline visibility from the start.

Quick Tips:

• Establish Clear Application Deadlines: Set a fixed window for applications to ensure all candidates move through the process together.
• Optimize Decision-Making with Full Pipeline Views: Encourage hiring managers to evaluate all candidates at once, reducing second-guessing and delays.
• Leverage Cohorts for Multiple Hires: If multiple strong candidates reach the final round, pull headcount forward rather than restarting the process later.

Takeaway 2: 3 Must-Have Inputs for Cohort Hiring Success ??

Successful cohort hiring depends on three core inputs: historical hiring data, a well-defined process, and automation to remove bottlenecks. Investing in these areas upfront ensures predictability and prevents unnecessary rework later in the process. Anna emphasizes that slowing down at the beginning speeds up the entire process, ensuring the right data, systems, and workflows are in place.

Why It Matters:

If you don’t have a clear process and reliable data, cohort hiring can backfire by creating unnecessary delays or forcing hiring managers to reopen roles. A strong data-driven approach ensures predictability and efficiency.

Quick Tips:

• Use Historical Hiring Data to Set Targets: Analyze past application-to-hire ratios to ensure you bring in enough candidates to have multiple strong options at the end of the process. Anna emphasizes that having choices at the end of the process allows hiring managers to make confident decisions without feeling pressured to settle for a single finalist candidate.
• Define the Process Upfront: Align on interview stages, assessment areas, and hiring team responsibilities before launching a cohort.
• Streamline Workflows with Smart Automation:Reduce manual scheduling and administrative tasks by implementing automation that enhances efficiency without sacrificing candidate experience. Use tools that support structured hiring while keeping the human element intact.

Takeaway 3: Why Hiring Teams Must Lock in Time and Resources ??

For cohort hiring to succeed, hiring managers and interview teams must be aligned upfront on expectations, timelines, and responsibilities. Without this, scheduling conflicts increase, decisions get delayed, and the entire process risks falling apart.

Why It Matters:

Cohort hiring only works when hiring teams commit to the process. When decision-makers lock in their time and resources from the start, cancellations decrease, candidates move through the process faster, and hiring outcomes improve.

Quick Tips:

• Plan Interviewer Availability in Advance: Ensure key interviewers are available during critical cohort stages to avoid scheduling conflicts like significant amounts of PTO.
• Set Clear Decision-Making Milestones: Define when hiring managers need to review candidates and make calls on moving them forward.
• Encourage Hiring Managers to Block Dedicated Time: Cohort hiring requires focused participation — make sure hiring teams commit to the process to see the full benefits.

What Hiring Excellence Means to Anna

For Anna, hiring excellence is a journey, not a destination. She believes in continuous improvement, adapting hiring strategies to reflect changing market conditions, company needs, and candidate expectations. Rather than sticking to a rigid process, hiring excellence means evaluating what works, adjusting where needed, and always striving for better outcomes.

Anna's Recruiting Hot Take ??

Feedback is valuable — but it’s not everything. Anna emphasizes that while candidates crave feedback, it’s important to contextualize it properly. If a candidate makes it to the final round and isn’t selected, it doesn’t mean they couldn’t do the job, it just means another candidate was a better fit at that moment. She encourages candidates to take feedback with a grain of salt and focus on incorporating small improvements for future opportunities.

You can check out Jan's full episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and our .

Up next, Jeff Winter !

Until next time,

Shannon Ogborn

Community @ Ashby