DISCLAIMER: The research and mathematical models used to develop these calculations were completed by the U.S. Dept. Of Labor and supported by research within various publications including: Harvard Business Review, C.E.O. Magazine, Forbes and by the SHRM (to list just a few of the sources we reviewed). It's fair to admit that vacancy timelines, salary (and total compensation) levels, performance variables of individual contributors, the perceived importance of any individual vacancy, and other factors can affect the accuracy of the calculations. Therefore, averages were used to balance the numbers and make them as credible as possible. The principle point of the calculators is to demonstrate that you can determine a fair estimate of the costs.