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Hiring Taking Too Long?

Speed up your process with these 6 tips

We all know one of the biggest downfalls of a successful recruiting and hiring process is the amount of time it takes to hire someone. The time it takes to hire is sometimes completely out of line with applicant’s expectations, creating a huge gap between candidates and businesses. Meanwhile, most recruiters and hiring managers don’t even notice that they’re taking too long. They have been fighting the symptoms of a too-long-hiring process without addressing the problem at the root. Here, we will expose some of those symptoms and offer solutions to help shorten your hiring process.

Time to Hire vs Candidate Expectations

According to research from RobertHalf, candidates are not as patient as the numbers suggest. In fact,

  • 57% of job searchers say the most frustrating part of looking for a job is the long wait to hear back after interviews.
  • 23% of candidates give it a week after the interview before they move on.
  • With candidates agreeing that 7-14 days is too long, you can expect to lose the interest of top-notch candidates within a time span of 10 days.

With the current job market on the side of job searchers, any organization that takes longer than 30 days to hire risks losing out on quality candidates – unless they really, really, really want to work for your company.

3 Signs Your Hiring Process is Taking too Long

You’re Being Ghosted

While it’s common for recruiters to ghost candidates, it is starting to become even more common for candidates to ghost recruiters. This is a telltale sign that your hiring process is taking too long.

Many candidates are ghosting recruiters during lengthy hiring processes because they’ve either received better offers in the meantime or they’ve decided to look for better jobs.

Getting Fewer Applicants

If you are getting fewer and fewer applicants to your job posting, then it may be because the beginning of your application process is too long.

Candidates don’t want to spend longer than an hour filling out a job application. That means including pre-employment tests that last longer than 40 minutes is a no-go. If your application process is too long, then you’ll likely get fewer applicants.

Candidates Tell You

A good hiring process will request feedback from candidates after all is said and done. It is beneficial to learn about what candidates like and don’t like about the process.

As you get feedback, you should include questions that would indicate whether your hiring process was an appropriate length or not.


How Can I Speed up the Process?

It’s hard trying to find ways to speed up the process without cutting corners, but it is possible. All it takes is a little reevaluation of your current process and willingness to make a few adjustments. So, here are some ways you can shorten your hiring process.

Cut Out the Middle Man

Many hiring processes have a lot of stakeholders involved, which can cause the process to be delayed. One option is to cut out the middle man, but sometimes that is just not possible. Alternatively, you can set strict deadlines for each stage of your process. The important piece of this isn’t just to set and adhere to the deadlines. It is to also communicate with candidates in each phase. A lack of communication leaves them in the dark, which will make them more prone to seek out other opportunities.

Be Sure You’re Ready to Hire

The hiring process takes an immense amount of planning and implementation. Going into a hiring process where you are unsure of what you need or how you’ll fill the role is setting yourself up for failure, especially when it comes to candidate response. The hiring process needs quick, confident decisions. If you don’t have your mind made up, then you may as well be window shopping (which is nearly twice as bad).

Consider Outsourcing Your Recruitment and Hiring Needs

Sometimes the hiring process takes a long time because recruiters and hiring managers are up to their necks in work. Making quick, decisive decisions will help shorten the process, but it can be nearly impossible if the people responsible are having to juggle multiple priorities. On the other hand, if you have the budget to outsource recruiting and hiring needs, then it may be beneficial and quicker to just get some help.

Utilize Your Hiring Manager

Your recruiter or hiring manager plays a major role in different stages of your hiring process including:

  • Review and job post adverts
  • Sourcing candidates
  • Admin tasks
  • Pre-screening tactics
  • Job offer negotiation

Because the recruiter is so involved, clear, consistent communication is key. It will be incredibly difficult to decrease your hiring time and find a good hire if you leave your recruiter out of the key stages. Additionally, you’ll want to make sure what you are communicating to your recruiter is translating in a way that is beneficial. The key is to make sure you are both on the same page.

Use Automation and Video

There’s a possibility that you are already using some form of automation in your hiring process (ATS, automated communication, etc.). However, this is just a reminder that automation is incredibly beneficial for shortening the length of your recruiting and hiring. So, if you are looking for new ways to shorten the process, you can use automation for:

  • Short, pre-screening assessments
  • Communication and quick scheduling (via CRM systems)
  • Social media platforms that feature automation tools
  • Building candidate pipelines
  • And other manual tasks that take up a significant amount of time

Additionally, asynchronous video is a useful communication tool to help shorten the hiring process and engage candidates better. While it is similar to sending a mass message to multiple candidates, it also adds human elements, which helps create a connection with candidates.

Please… Just Make a Decision

At the end of the day, you’ve planned, you’ve allocated resources, and you’ve done all of the dirty work. Sometimes it comes down to just making a decision. When you are left with the last round of candidates, it is unlikely that the “perfect candidate” will just pop up and take your breath away. Sitting around waiting could cause delays in your hiring process, which causes you to waste other’s time. And from what we’ve seen, great candidates won’t wait for you.

So, do your best to put yourself in a good position to make a quick, informed decision at the end of your process. This means taking the time to plan in detail and making sure you’ve embraced every step of your hiring process.

If you’re ready to tackle some of these new adjustments to shorten your hiring process, then let’s first start with a free job posting on Job Searcher.

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