The optimum length for a company’s hiring process has been a debatable topic for quite some time. The irony of the situation, though, is that there should not be any debate about it.
That’s because no matter the economic environment, a search for the best candidates in the marketplace should represent a process that includes constant communication, consistent feedback, and a sense of urgency.
This is definitely the case in a candidates’ market, which is the type of market we are now experiencing. It’s especially a candidates’ market for top talent.
That’s because these types of candidates have options. Those options don’t just represent more than one job opening. They represent one or more of the best job openings in the industry.
Company officials and hiring managers should understand that the company must brand itself to top candidates just as much as those candidates must brand themselves to the company. In fact, the onus for effective branding might fall more on the company than on the candidates.
Why is that? Consider this:
Suppose a top candidate is interviewing with four companies and that all four of those companies—including yours—are interested in that candidate. Now suppose your organization is seriously considering two candidates for your position, and this top candidate is one of them.
Who has more options: the candidate or your company?
If you take too long during the hiring process, if that process is filled with a lack of communication and feedback, and if that process is bogged down in any way, the candidate might view that as representative of your organization overall.
As a result, it’s imperative that once the A-level candidates have been presented and are officially part of the hiring process, the process should move with a healthy sense of urgency. The recommended timeframe for this is between two and four weeks.
If the process takes any longer than four weeks, the risk of losing those A-level candidates to another company rises dramatically.
How long is your organization’s hiring process—both before and after top candidates have been identified? Is it longer than four weeks? Have you lost A-level candidates in the past, either because they dropped out of the process, accepted other offers, or both?
Take the steps necessary to first identify the best candidates in the marketplace and then to streamline your hiring process so those candidates stay engaged until you can successfully recruit them and hire them.
After all, there should be no debate about the value that these candidates can bring to your organization.
We help support careers in one of two ways: 1. By helping to find the right opportunity when the time is right, and 2. By helping to recruit top talent for the critical needs of organizations. If this is something you would like to explore further, please send an email to stacy@thevetrecruiter.com.