Employers need to fill job vacancies within 72 working days before people assume it’s a job no one wants, according to a survey of 2,000 members of the public carried out by recruiter Randstad, the UK sector specialist recruiter.

And the survey finds that the unemployed are even more likely to jump to this conclusion after an average of 64 days. More likely still are those in the North-East, who assume a job is bad after 58 days, while Londoners have the most patience, at 79 days.

Mark Bull, UK chief executive of Randstad, says: “The results show recruiting for a job vacancy is like selling your house. Leave it on the market too long and, for whatever reason, people start to think there is something wrong with it.

He adds: “While candidates won’t start judging a job negatively until the vacancy’s been advertised for 72 days, the ideal time is half this… The trick is not to turn that person down just because the vacancy’s only been open a couple of weeks.

“If employers see the right person on the first day of interviews, they need to have the courage of their convictions and hire the candidate straight away.”