It’s worth taking the time to find the perfect people to join your business. But when they do come along, snap them up quickly.
You won’t be the only company that thinks they’re perfect.
Yours won’t be the only company someone applies to, and probably not the only one someone interviews with either.
Multi-stage application processes with two or three interviews are sometimes the worst culprits. There’s nothing wrong with second or even third stage interviews, meeting with more senior levels of staff, but often candidates can be kept waiting too long and will accept another opportunity in the meantime. Alternatively, the candidate may lose interest in the position and misinterpret your thorough interview process as indecision and disinterest.
Set expectations early in the interview process about what stages there are in the process, and be specific about when they will take place. Even go as far as listing a couple of interview dates in the job adverts.
Most importantly, stick to whatever timeline you set. No-one wants to hear “we’ll get back to you by Friday either way” but hear nothing until the following week. And if you really haven’t decided, let the candidate know they’re still in the running.
Of course, this works both ways too – if a candidate is unwilling to meet your schedule without good reason, they may not be that keen on the vacancy. Loyalty to an employer is a good trait to see. But if someone is looking for a new role and isn’t prepared to take a morning off at the prospect, it probably means they aren’t all that interested in your role. Or that they aren’t really ready to leave yet.
Unemployment is virtually at an all-time low, so the candidate pool for many jobs is getting smaller and smaller. So if the perfect candidate shows up, don’t waste any time. You just don’t know when the next one will come along.
