What is that open role actually costing you?

The real cost of an open position goes far beyond the salary you aren't paying.

When a critical role stays vacant, the work doesn't disappear. Projects slow down, deadlines move, managers absorb extra responsibilities, and employees work overtime. Use this quick worksheet to estimate what one open position may actually be costing your organization.

1. Start with the role

Role

Annual salary

Days open

Weeks open Calculated from days

2. Estimate the team cost

Enter only the extra costs caused by the vacancy. Enter the weekly amount and we'll total it.

Extra team costPer weekTotal to date

Overtime / temporary coverageExtra pay, contractors or shift coverage needed while the role is open

Manager + interview timeTime spent covering work, screening, interviewing and coordinating the search

Internal recruiting timeAdditional sourcing, outreach and admin time tied to this vacancy

Team cost to date: $0

3. Estimate the business impact

Now estimate costs that are separate from team labor. Use your best conservative estimate.

Business impactTotal to date

Project / delivery delaysHas the vacancy delayed a launch, installation, production schedule or milestone?

Lost capacity / revenueIs the open role limiting how much work your team can take on, complete or bill?

Quality / customer impactHas the gap caused rework, slower response times or other measurable impact?

Other direct impactAny vacancy-related cost not already counted above

Team cost to date$0

Business impact (total)$0

Total estimated vacancy impact$0

A useful estimate beats a perfect estimate. The point is to see whether the vacancy has become a business problem, and whether your current search is solving it fast enough.

Quick check: is the search working?

Are you consistently seeing qualified candidates?

YesNo

Is the process moving fast enough for the business need?

YesNo

Does your recruiting partner already understand the role, market and must-have qualifications?

YesNo

See your results and get a copy

Tell us where to send your estimate:

Full name

Company

Work email

Phone Optional

Your results

$0Total estimated vacancy impact

$0Approximate cost per week

Specialized roles need specialized recruiting

Your recruiting partner should already understand the terminology, qualifications, certifications and talent market around the role. At BlueWave Resource Partners, our teams specialize in the industries they serve. The goal isn't to send the most resumes. It's to identify the right talent and move the search forward.

48 - 72 hoursAverage time-to-shortlist

92%One-year retention on placements

If a critical role has been sitting open, let's talk. Stop calculating the cost of the vacancy. Start solving it. Call 407-986-5777