A job posting that is still open after 60 days is not usually a hiring problem. It is a pricing problem. The role, the level and the location field together set a price, and the market is telling you it will not pay it.
How a role ends up open for two months
Say you post a mid-level developer role on the first of the month. What follows is ordinary:
- Weeks one to three: applications arrive, most of them the wrong level, and you screen them between other work.
- Weeks four to six: you run interviews. The two strongest candidates also have other offers.
- Week seven: one accepts somewhere else and the other asks for more than the plan allows.
- Week eight: you are back to screening.
Nothing in that story is a mistake. It is what happens when a competitive role meets a market where good people have choices and notice periods.
What the empty seat costs
The salary you have not paid yet is not a saving. The cost of an empty seat shows up elsewhere:
- the feature that did not ship this quarter
- the founder who is still doing QA on Sunday night
- the team member covering two jobs and quietly looking at other offers
None of these appear on a spreadsheet. All of them are real.
The location field tax
Most founders tune the job description, the title, the interview loop and the salary. Almost nobody changes the location field, which is often the biggest single variable in the price of a role.
Changing the location field does not mean lowering the bar. It means looking for the same level of person in a market with a different price point, and making sure the setup around them is right. Without the setup, the cost gap goes into managing problems instead of building product.
What to do with a stale posting
- Check the level. Is the posting asking for senior judgment at a mid-level salary? If so, the market will tell you, slowly. See junior, mid or senior.
- Check the scope. Is it two jobs in one post? Split it.
- Check the location field. Would the same role, at the same level, be filled faster somewhere else, with a proper office and employer around the person?
For the third question, here is what a satellite office seat costs per month, all-inclusive, with $0 until you hire:
| Role | Mid level, per month |
|---|---|
| Full-stack developer | $2,800 to $4,200 |
| QA engineer | $2,200 to $3,200 |
The seat is set up in about 3 weeks from a signed engagement.
The honest exception
Some roles stay open because they are genuinely rare, or because they need someone in the room every day. Changing the location field will not fix those, and you should not try. For everything else, a posting that has been open for two months is a signal worth reading.
See the full price list on /pricing, or talk to us about the role that will not close.