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Cost of technical interviews
A 45-minute screen uses more than 45 minutes of engineer time. Use this formula to price your own L1 interviews and see where AI interviews change the total.
The cost of a technical interview is the interviewer’s total time (the interview plus prep, write-up, and context switching) multiplied by their fully loaded hourly cost. A 45-minute L1 screen typically takes 75 minutes or more of an engineer’s time. Across all the screens needed for one hire, that time usually costs far more than the recruiting tools.
How to calculate the cost of one technical interview
Cost per interview = (interview minutes + prep + write-up + context switching) ÷ 60 × loaded hourly cost of the interviewer.
Loaded hourly cost is salary plus benefits and overhead, divided by working hours. Use your own numbers; the example below uses round figures so you can see the shape of the math.
| Step | Example (L1 screen) |
|---|---|
| Interview | 45 min |
| Prep (read resume, pick questions) | 15 min |
| Write-up and debrief | 15 min |
| Total engineer time | 75 min = 1.25 hours |
| Loaded cost of a senior engineer (example) | ₹2,500 per hour |
| Cost of one L1 screen | ≈ ₹3,125 |
From cost per interview to cost per hire
Multiply by how many screens it takes to make one hire. If your team runs 10 L1 screens for every offer, the example above is about ₹31,000 of senior engineer time per hire before L2 or final rounds start.
The cost that rarely shows up on a budget is the product work those hours replace. That is why engineering leaders often care about hours more than rupees.
What changes with AI interviews
Cointervue runs the L1 interview in software for ₹199 per completed interview pay as you go, or ₹169 with 100+ interviews a month committed. In the example above, 10 L1 screens cost about ₹1,990 instead of about ₹31,000 of engineer time, and engineers spend their interview hours on the final rounds only.
Candidates interview on their own schedule, and each scorecard is ready within 60 seconds of the interview ending, so time-to-shortlist drops as well as cost.
Other ways to cut technical interview cost
- Tighten the rubric so L1 has a clear pass bar and fewer borderline debates.
- Drop rounds that repeat what an earlier round already measured.
- Track interviewer hours per hire as a metric alongside time-to-hire.
- Move the highest-volume round off engineer calendars first.
Cost of technical interviews FAQ
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