When we partner with client companies, we often hear the same urgent request: “We need to hire someone right away – as soon as you find someone for us.” And they mean it. When a position needs to be filled, most companies have no time to waste. Yet despite the urgency, many hiring managers struggle to move quickly when it comes time to make hiring decisions, causing delays to creep in and top candidates to slip away.

So what slows the hiring process down, and how can hiring teams avoid that outcome? Here’s one real-life example of a hiring process gone wrong, which demonstrates some of the most common issues that cause great companies to lose out on top candidates.

Hiring Process Case Study

Company X reached out to us for help finding a Senior Project Manager for their general construction division. This was a critical need, since the company lacked leaders with experience on multiple large projects. The hiring manager told me, “We’ll make a hire yesterday if you can find the right person!” I found a great candidate and arranged a face-to-face meeting for him with HR, the CEO, and the COO at Company X. During that first meeting, they gave the candidate a tour of the offices and introduced him to the team.

A week went by, and then they let the candidate know they wanted him to go to another office of theirs about 30 minutes away to meet more staff members; the candidate agreed and that meeting also went really well. Then…the summer hit. All of a sudden, key Company X leaders were on vacation or out of the office. On top of that, the leadership team was struggling to decide which office the candidate would work out of.

By now, a few more weeks had passed. During this time, the candidate had continued interviewing on his own, and ultimately he got an offer from another company. I told Company X that the candidate had another offer on the table, but a few of the decision-makers were still out of town and they weren’t certain about the office location, so they weren’t able to get an offer together. Even though Company X was his first choice, the candidate accepted the other offer because he couldn’t wait any longer.

3 Lessons We Can Learn From This Hiring Process

Unfortunately, Company X lost out on the best candidate for the role because of the issues they faced during the hiring process. And as you can see, it doesn’t take huge, dramatic mistakes to derail a hiring process: Company X simply fell victim to some very common issues that hiring teams face all the time. So what can other hiring teams learn from their mistakes? Here are 3 ways to keep your hiring process as smooth and efficient as possible:

1. Make a hiring plan. It sounds simple, but it’s a step that many companies skip because they’re so eager to get started. But the reality is, skipping this up-front planning step doesn’t save time in the long run; it creates issues down the line which can drag out the hiring process and increase your risk of losing great candidates. So take the time to decide these three things:

• Who will be involved in the hiring process. One of the most common mistakes companies (including Company X) make when hiring is having too many people involved in the process. The more people on the hiring team, the more schedules you have to coordinate and the more likely it is you’ll run into delays. Only include people on the hiring team who need to be there, and make sure everyone on the team puts interviews and feedback as top priorities on their calendars.
• What you’re looking for in the ideal candidate. Remember that the “perfect” candidate doesn’t exist, so identify the most important experiences, personality traits, and professional qualifications a successful candidate will need, and then keep an open mind when meeting with talented candidates.
• When you will make a hiring decision. If you’re not sure what kind of timeline is realistic for making a hire, we recommend no longer than one month between the first interview and the start date. That gives the hiring team two weeks to conduct interviews and make a decision, and then two weeks for the selected candidate to give notice and make the transition.

If you’re working with a recruiter, they’ll be able to help you with this process.

2. The hiring process is a reflection of how the company is run. Candidates learn a great deal during the hiring process about a company’s people, processes, procedures, and values. Is the hiring manager (or team) organized and efficient, strong and clear in communication, friendly and welcoming? Or is the process fragmented, disorganized, with frequent delays and rescheduled meetings? Are interviewers engaged or distracted?

With Company X, the candidate was highly impressed during the early stages of the interview process, but he grew increasingly concerned as more issues came up. He began to feel that Company X wasn’t organized and efficient in their work, which caused him to lose interest in working for them. It’s important for hiring teams to remember that while they’re looking for the best candidate for their role, they’re also selling the opportunity – and a disorganized, inefficient hiring process isn’t a strong sales pitch.

3. Strong communication is your best problem-solving strategy. Let’s face it: Hiring managers are human and sometimes, unavoidable issues do arise during a hiring process, no matter how prepared everyone is. Candidates understand this! When issues do arise, hiring teams need to do what Company X failed to do: communicate strongly and clearly. If Company X had prioritized communication by making sure everyone was available – whether in person or via phone or videoconference – they could have had fewer scheduling issues. Even if there had been significant delays in the process, they might have kept the candidate interested if they’d been clear in giving a decision date and expressing how much they wanted him to join their team.

By setting expectations early and sticking to what you say you’ll do, hiring managers can ensure that candidates know they’re valued and are more willing to stick with a hiring process even when issues do arise.

Knowing how important an efficient hiring process is to recruiting top talent is one thing. Taking actionable steps to solve issues of inefficiency is another. Company X lost their candidate, but if you make a hiring plan, keep your candidates’ first impressions in mind, and communicate clearly and often, you can help ensure that your hiring process ends with a successful long-term hire.