Why Taking Too Long to Hire is Big Mistake

Why Taking Too Long to Hire is Big MistakeWhy Taking Too Long to Hire is Big MistakeMany companies are taking too long to hire. And its one of the biggest hiring mistakes employers can make these days.Candidates lose interest if theyre left waiting. In todays tight labor market, that could be a death sentence for your hiring efforts.In a survey from Robert Half, nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of workers said they lose interest in the firm if they dont hear back within one week after the initial interview. Another 46 percent said they lose interest if theres no status update from one-to-two weeks post-interview.Thats no way to attract hard-to-find talent to your company.Here are some tips for speeding up your recruitment process without sacrificing thorough candidate vettingFine-tune the job descriptionMake aya your job description that drives the job posting is current and accurately reflects the skills needed for the position. If it doesnt, youll lengthen the hiring process by incr easing the number of resumes you have to pour over from applicants who fall short of your requirements.Do as much as you can in advanceGet all your hiring ducks in a row internally before you even begin recruiting. For exampleMake sure you have all the approvals (and required paperwork) to staff the job.Know who needs to interview and sign off on the hire and keep them updated throughout the process so hiring for your role remains top of mind for them. Stay in close contact. Check with them before you schedule interviews, for instance, to ensure theyre available and you dont have to call a candidate back for another round.Have your compensation range set so you can make an offer ASAP. Know how much wiggle room there is in case a candidate negotiates.Once interviews are completed, press stakeholders for a decision, explaining the need to move quickly.Stay in touch with your top candidatesDoing so will reinforce your interest in them. Let them know you havent forgotten about them if t hings are dragging on, being clear when they can expect an answer. Also ask them if they have questions that arose after the interview and answer any concerns promptly.HIRING NOW? WE CAN HELPRealize the perfect person may not existHiring managers often waste time requesting additional interviews to do side-by-side talent comparisons of two strong candidates. However, theyd be wiser to invest their time and energy in moving top candidates through the process quickly. This doesnt mean you should settle, just that delaying hiring for that elusive perfect candidate - one who might not even exist, of course - might yield you no candidate at all.Instead, consider hiring someone who is a good fit with your workplace culture and has most of the required skills, then offering training in the areas they need to strengthen. A good question to ask if you find yourself on the fence about a candidate Does this person have most of the necessary skills for the role and, short one or two, can they be taught?Get expert staffing assistanceA recruiting firm can help you mora quickly pinpoint the best candidates. Recruiters who specialize in your industry know the most in-demand roles, the skill sets needed and the average salary range offered today. Because helping you hire is their only job, they can more efficiently handle the time-consuming aspects of the hiring process, including writing and placing the job ad, initial skills testing, and sorting through resumes. They also have a broad network of strong candidates available - many who are available to start right away, no less - increasing the speed of the process as well as your chances of getting the right employee the first time.If you choose a reputable staffing firm - even better, one that specializes in the professional field youre interested in - you should take their recommendations to heart. Some businesses waste valuable time and miss out on top candidates because they dont value or acknowledge the heavy lifti ng already done by recruiters, delaying the process even further.By streamlining your hiring process and enlisting reputable allies, you can avoid making one of the costliest hiring mistakes today - taking too long to hire and missing out on what couldve been a great addition to your team.