Recruiting Tips: Maintaining a Sense of Urgency During the Interview Process

Do you know the saying, “Time kills all deals”? In sales, it’s a known fact that the longer it takes for a deal to close, the more likely you will lose the sale. And I think the same can be true of an overly lengthy interview process — the longer it drags out the more likely a great candidate will walk away.

There are several reasons why keeping a candidate in process too long is a bad idea:

More Opportunity to Over-think Things

This is especially true of passive candidates who are currently employed. Maybe the role seemed new and exciting when they first interviewed, but as time goes on, the initial luster wears off. After weeks — perhaps even months — of not having in-person contact with hiring managers, those candidates may decide they want to stick with what is comfortable rather than trying something new.

Top Candidates Don’t Stay Available

A great candidate who is actively looking is certainly not going to be on the market for very long. Even if the opportunity at your company is perfect for them, without “closing the deal” you always run the risk of them being scooped up.

No Progress is Often Perceived as Disinterest

Another reason candidates may remove themselves from consideration for a role is because they might start to believe your company is actually not very interested in them. This is more likely if a second or third interview has not been scheduled and a candidate is seeking feedback.
If they reach out to the recruiter regarding next steps and do not receive any relevant information, it’s certainly possible they will lose enthusiasm. It can be a downer trying to figure out whether you have a chance at an opportunity, and eventually a candidate will just move on.

So, how can you avoid these types of situations?

Set Expectations from the Start

First off, if you know from the start the interview process will be lengthy it is important to let candidates know and set that expectation from the very first phone call.
Ideally, your company should try to make the interview process as quick and painless as possible. This can be difficult based on each interviewer’s schedule, but if it’s an important role and filling it is a high priority you should carve out time to meet with someone and move the process along.
Not only does a quick and organized interview process provide an excellent candidate experience, but you will also get the candidate hired, onboarded, and working more quickly. He or she will be able to move into the role you need sooner and take on responsibilities that need to be taken care of.

Consolidate Multiple Interviews As Much As Possible

If there are multiple people or teams a candidate needs to meet with in order to be hired, you might consider scheduling a longer interview that includes multiple stakeholders to avoid return trips. Some companies have an “interview day” where they invite a candidate in for several hours or even an entire day in order to speed up the process.
Overall, in hiring situations it is best to have a sense of urgency when it comes to interviewing. Clearly, it is important to vet out candidates to find the most qualified person for the position. However, by dragging out interviews you risk losing a great candidate.

Have you been subjected to a very long interview process? How did you handle it?

As a hiring manager, how will you speed up your interview process?