But when you’ve got solid candidates in front of you, “Time Becomes Your Enemy!”  Why Didn’t You Hire the Rock Star?

Think about this scenario: 

1. You have an executive job opening
2. You hire an executive recruiter or if you have a recruiting staff, then you assign search to them
3. Candidates are interviewed, and the recruiter presents you with the top 3-5 candidates
4. This is where the clock starts ticking.

Candidates who are on a search for a new opportunity, don’t stop at company, they contact several as well as multiple recruiters.  Candidates are looking for the “right/best” opportunity as well.

Now as the hiring authority, you take several days to a couple of weeks to review the initial candidate pool.  Clock is ticking.

You decide to have a phone discussion with 3 of them.  The news is good and bad.  Good that you have an interest, but bad because you don’t schedule the phone discussion for another week or two.  Anxiety level in candidates start to rise and the Clock is still ticking.

Now candidates are reading into this process that there is no urgency and begin to believe that either they are not a match or hiring managers can’t make decisions. The silence becomes deadly to the process.

Finally, the day(s) come for two of the candidates to have an onsite visit/interview. The Clock continues to tick but here is where the rubber meets road. 

1. Make them feel welcome; Demonstrate your interest in them and why your company could be their company of choice too.
2. Have most or all the hiring authorities available for the interviews can be handled in one day if possible.
3. At the conclusion, do NOT give false hopes.  If you like what you see and hear from this candidate, tell them.  If it is obvious they are not a match, tell them.
4. Give them realistic time lines and DO NOT SAY, I’VE GOT OTHER CANDIDATES TO INTERVIEW. (It is demoralizing)
5. If you do nothing, they will continue back to the interview trail and suddenly your company is going to be number 2 or 3 in their vetting process.  Emotions and stress will take over as they relate to your company.  The battery in the clock has now gotten weak and about to quit.

Two or three weeks later, you decide to bring one of the two rock stars back.  Guess what, he/she accepted another position and now you must start all over.  Time and money wasted and probably a bad taste in the candidates’ mouth about your organization.  Remember, candidates talk to other candidates.

IN THE HIRING PROCESS, TIME IS THE ENEMY!