Hiring plan Gantt chart template: from approved role to start date
An editable hiring plan Gantt chart: headcount approval, job description, sourcing, screening, interviews, work sample, references, offer, notice period and start date, with dependencies and milestones.
What the hiring plan gantt chart template: from approved role to start date process is
Most hiring plans are a list of stages, and the stages are fine. What the list does not show is how long they add up to, which is the question a hiring manager is actually asked: when will this person start? A Gantt chart answers it, because it puts the long waits, the approval, the application window and the notice period, on the same calendar as the short tasks.
This template plans one hire from "Confirm role and budget" to the milestone "Start date". After "Headcount approved" the hiring team writes the job description and posts the role. "Sourcing and applications open" runs for 15 working days, while "Screen applications" starts five working days after the posting so early applicants are not left waiting. Phone screens lead to two parallel streams, "Interview rounds" and "Work sample or case exercise", and "Debrief and decide" waits for both.
After "Reference checks" and "Make the offer", the milestone "Offer accepted" starts two things at once: "Candidate serves notice", 20 working days here, and "Prepare equipment, accounts and first-week plan". "Start date" waits for both. Turn on the critical path and you will see that the notice period, not the interviews, usually decides the date. Durations are illustrative working days (Monday to Friday); replace them with your own.
For what happens once the person has started, see the [employee onboarding Gantt chart template](/templates/employee-onboarding-gantt-chart). This template holds no candidate data: names, CV details and interview notes belong in your applicant system, not in the plan. It is a schedule for the process.
What this flowchart covers
In this template
- Three groups, Hiring team, Candidates and Offer and onboarding, with 16 tasks and three milestones: "Headcount approved", "Offer accepted" and "Start date".
- An application window that does not block screening: "Screen applications" starts five working days after "Post the role and brief recruiters".
- Two parallel assessment streams: "Interview rounds" and "Work sample or case exercise" both follow "Phone screens", and "Debrief and decide" waits for both.
- The long wait: "Candidate serves notice" takes 20 working days after "Offer accepted".
- Preparation in parallel: "Prepare equipment, accounts and first-week plan" runs during the notice period, and "Start date" waits for both.
When to use this template
- You are opening a role and need to tell the team when someone will realistically start.
- You hire in batches and want one reusable plan for the process.
- Approvals, interviewers and the candidate's notice period all affect the date and you want to see how.
- You want a hiring timeline to share with a hiring manager or a recruiter.
The plan, task by task
Every task in the chart with its length in working days and what it waits for. A dependency is a step number; SS is start-to-start, FF is finish-to-finish, and +n is a lag in working days.
| # | Task | Group | Working days | Depends on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm role and budget | Hiring team | 3 | |
| 2 | Headcount approved | Hiring team | Milestone | 1 |
| 3 | Write job description and scorecard | Hiring team | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | Post the role and brief recruiters | Hiring team | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | Sourcing and applications open | Candidates | 15 | 4 |
| 6 | Screen applications | Candidates | 10 | 4SS+5 |
| 7 | Phone screens | Candidates | 5 | 6 |
| 8 | Interview rounds | Candidates | 10 | 7 |
| 9 | Work sample or case exercise | Candidates | 5 | 7 |
| 10 | Debrief and decide | Hiring team | 2 | 8, 9 |
| 11 | Reference checks | Candidates | 3 | 10 |
| 12 | Make the offer | Offer and onboarding | 2 | 11 |
| 13 | Offer accepted | Offer and onboarding | Milestone | 12 |
| 14 | Candidate serves notice | Offer and onboarding | 20 | 13 |
| 15 | Prepare equipment, accounts and first-week plan | Offer and onboarding | 5 | 13 |
| 16 | Start date | Offer and onboarding | Milestone | 14, 15 |
How it works
Replace the tasks with your own
Rename the 16 tasks and the three groups. Add interview rounds or remove the work sample to match your process.
Mark the approvals as milestones
Headcount approval and offer acceptance are events outside the team's control. Make them zero-length tasks so the steps after them are clearly waiting.
Set the waits from experience
Use your own typical time for applications, scheduling interviews and the notice period in your country or contract. These are the longest bars, so they matter most.
Run assessment streams in parallel
Give interview rounds and the work sample the same predecessor and make the debrief wait for both.
Check the critical path
Use View, then Critical path. If the notice period is the longest chain, faster interviewing will not bring the start date forward.
Keep candidate data out
Use the plan for stages and dates only. Names and assessments stay in your applicant system.
Frequently asked questions
What is a hiring plan Gantt chart?
A Gantt chart for the hiring process of one role: approvals, job description, sourcing, screening, interviews, offer, notice period and start date, with the dependencies between them.
Can I track candidates in it?
It is a schedule for the process, not an applicant tracking system. Keep candidate names and notes in your own system.
Why is the notice period a task?
Because it is often the longest wait between an accepted offer and a first day. Showing it makes the start date honest.
Are the durations realistic?
They are illustrative working days. Replace them with your own typical times, including notice periods that differ by country.
Where does onboarding start?
At the start date. The employee onboarding Gantt chart template plans the weeks after it.
