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You are likely to spend over five months of your life in job interviews

Back view of female job applicant make good first impression at work interview in office, millennial woman candidate talk, impress HR managers or recruiters at hiring. Employment concept
Most people will change jobs six times in their career Photo: Getty Image.

Brits spend more than five months in some form of interview process over their lifetime, new research suggests.

According to Glassdoor, Brits spend an average of 27 days in an interview process when applying for a job.

Considering that people move jobs, on average, six times in their life, this equates to 162 days – about 5.3 months – over the course of a working life.

READ MORE: Top 5 Questions to Ask at Your Job Interview

The research shows those seeking jobs in consulting face the longest interview process, with interviews at “big four” firms KPMG, EY, Deloitte and PwC averaging 55 days from first applying to receiving a decision.

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Deloitte leads the way, with the longest interview process of 65 days from application to decision.

Consulting is followed by travel sector, where job seekers face an average interview process of 49 days for a job.

READ MORE: Employers reveal the worst things you can do in a job interview

British Airways has the second longest interview process in Glassdoor’s research, at 59 days, and the second highest difficulty rating, at 3.3 out of 5 – well above the average interview difficulty on Glassdoor of 2.6.

The airline industry, in particular, is known for its rigorous recruitment processes, which can involve psychometric tests, assessment centres and health and safety tests, dependent on the role.

Job seekers in investment banking face an average interview process of 45 days – with those interviewing at Goldman Sachs having the longest process of the investment banks at around 54 days.

Smiling Young Man Shaking Hands With Female At Interview
Interview duration correlates with interview difficulty. Photo: Getty Images

READ MORE: These 12 'powerful' words will help you ace your next job interview

Applicants to Goldman Sachs can expect video interviews prior to in-person interviews with a number of different individuals at the company, based on both technical and soft skills.

Meanwhile, those in hospitality enjoy the shortest and easiest interview process, at between 1.9 and 10 days.

Jo Cresswell, community expert at Glassdoor, said: “The consulting industry, in particular the ‘big four’, are notorious for their challenging recruitment processes.

READ MORE: 5 Job Interview Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs

“Given all appeared in the UK’s Most In-Demand Companies for 2019, it’s clear they can ask for a lot in the interview process without putting off potential job seekers. In fact, candidates expect to be pushed.”

“It is interesting to see that, on an industry level, interview duration correlates with interview difficulty, indicating that job seekers are being put through their paces in the longer recruitment drives. “

He added: “This is ultimately a good thing for job seekers, as previous research shows more difficult job interviews are statistically linked to higher employee satisfaction.”