The True Cost of Hiring Is Staggering
According to SHRM’s 2025 benchmarking report, the average cost per hire in the United States is $4,700. In Europe, Glassdoor estimates similar figures. This includes job advertising, recruiter time, interview scheduling, assessment tools, background checks, and onboarding. But the single largest component is staff time,and that is exactly where async video interviews deliver the biggest savings.
Where the Money Goes: A Typical Hire
| Cost Component | Traditional | With Async Video |
|---|---|---|
| Job advertising | $500 | $500 |
| Recruiter screening time (phone screens) | $1,800 | $400 |
| Scheduling coordination | $600 | $0 |
| Interviewer time (first round) | $1,200 | $300 |
| Assessment tools | $400 | $0 (built into platform) |
| Candidate travel/logistics | $300 | $0 |
| Background checks & onboarding | $675 | $675 |
| Total | $4,700 | $1,875 |
The Three Biggest Savings
1. Eliminating Scheduling ($600 Saved)
Scheduling automation saves 75% of coordination time (Cronofy). Async video eliminates scheduling entirely, saving 100%. No back-and-forth emails, no calendar juggling, no no-shows.
2. Faster Screening ($1,400 Saved)
A 20-minute phone screen plus 10 minutes of scheduling and notes takes 30 minutes per candidate. Reviewing a 3-minute async video response takes 3 minutes. A recruiter can screen 10x more candidates per hour. Multiply by 50 to 100 candidates per role and the savings are enormous.
Async video interviews reduce time-to-hire by 50% (ZappyHire, 2024), which also reduces the opportunity cost of unfilled positions.
3. Built-In Assessment ($400 Saved)
Platforms like StormInterview include code challenges, MCQs, and file uploads alongside video questions. This eliminates the need for separate assessment tools like Codility or TestGorilla, saving $200 to $500 per month.
The Hidden Savings: Better Hires
Cost per hire only tells half the story. Async video interviews improve hiring quality because:
- Structured questions provide consistent evaluation criteria
- Multiple stakeholders can review the same candidate independently, reducing groupthink
- AI transcription enables keyword and competency analysis across all responses
- Reduced time pressure leads to more thoughtful candidate evaluation
SHRM (2024) estimates the cost of a bad hire at at least 30% of the employee's first-year salary. For a USD 60,000 role, that is USD 18,000. Even a modest improvement in hiring accuracy pays back the platform several times over.
ROI Calculation for Your Team
A team making 10 hires per month that switches from phone screens to async video can expect:
- $28,250/month in direct cost savings (($4,700 minus $1,875) × 10)
- 200+ hours/month freed for recruiters to focus on candidate experience and pipeline building
- StormInterview cost: €79/month,a 450x return on investment