Unemployment is low and the pre-recession mentality you may still have about hiring can really hurt your current process. The days where you’d get 100 qualified applicants who would jump through tons of hoops are in the past. The current employment landscape has the ball in the employee’s court, not the employer’s. When you’re ready to hire, we beg you not to make this cardinal mistake:
….do not drag your feet when you have an excellent candidate who is interested in your job!
People have more options these days and getting a highly qualified candidate who is also a culture fit interested in your job takes some work. The worst thing you can do is put in the work to get someone excited about an opportunity and then drag your feet on following up. It’s incredibly counterproductive to start the hiring process if you’re not serious about moving quickly and making someone an offer.
Employers cannot make the kinds of up-front demands that they could make in 2008—and they cannot expect great candidates to remain interested and available for a lengthy period of time. If you’re preparing to hire, we recommend that you speak with the decision-making team ahead of time to confirm their commitment to filling the role and identify firm requirements and salary parameters. It’s also important to reiterate the importance of moving excellent candidates through your process quickly.
If you interview someone who is amazing, make them an offer! Don’t assume that person will still be available and interested after you go through the motions of scheduling interviews with several other candidates—and don’t let your team’s busy schedule prevent you from making a timely offer to a great person. This is especially true for passive candidates who may not have been formally in the job market to begin with. Time kills all deals!
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