During a job search, it’s often the candidates who feel more urgent to wrap up the search and receive the job offer. That makes sense, however, as an employer, you should also feel a sense of urgency to find the best candidate.
Why You Need to Fill the Role
Even though employers may take longer to fill positions than a candidate may want, it’s really in the best interest of an employer to move the process along.
Overworked Employees
When a position is unfilled for an extended period of time, other team members have to pick up the slack, often leading them to feel overworked, fatigued, and maybe overly unsatisfied with their work. This may actually lead your overworked employees to look for another job.
Company Culture Takes a Hit
If your staff is feeling the extra workload from vacant positions, they could be inadvertently impacting the entire culture of the company. Even if this happens, you really can’t blame your employees. They were hired to do a certain job, yet if they have to do additional work for an undisclosed amount of time, they have every reason to become disgruntled. Obviously, this is a reaction you want to avoid quickly, especially before it trickles to affect the culture as a whole.
An Employer Can’t Take Too Long
If time gets in the way of a productive hiring process, the employer runs the risk of losing top talent.
- A candidate can get sour for feeling strung along and may lose interest in the job opportunity.
- A candidate may think you hired someone else and will pursue different opportunities.
- They may decide to stay at their current job, with a familiar culture and group of coworkers.
- They may actually get a promotion at their current job.
- A candidate may decide to look in a larger geographical area to find a different opportunity.
- If the job position stays open for too long, candidates or other companies may wonder what is wrong with your company that they cannot fill the position.
What’s Holding Up the Hiring Timeline?
While a job candidate is only a single person who can easily act on their own whim and responsibilities, you, the hiring manager, have to go through more processes to take action.
It could be a variety of reasons that your hiring process gets clogged or slowed down:
- Conflicting schedules around the office
- Team members traveling
- Can’t get people to share their thoughts and feedback on the candidates
Figure Out How to Make it Happen
Even though there are several reasons why your hiring timeline may stall due to other commitments in the office, you’re going to have to rethink your process or problem-solve. If you don’t, you may lose out on top candidates just because you’re moving too slowly.
Here are some solutions to consider:
- Have questionnaires and feedback forms to collect input during and immediately following an interview.
- Schedule a Zoom meeting for anyone who can’t make an in-office meeting you’ve requested to discuss the candidate(s).
- Communicate with colleagues why this hire needs to happen quickly (employee morale, productivity, top candidate availability, etc).
Don’t Lose a Good Hire
Be sure to get the best candidate on your team by enlisting help from the professionals at Expert Staffing.