Top Candidates are still moving quickly in the marketplace. The above average candidate is still moving from resume to hire in about 3 weeks.

For example we have seen a well-known company slow down the hiring process 5 months for lower level positions. The number of interviews increased from 3 interviews to as many as 8 interviews. Almost everyone related to the position was included in the hiring process creating very different thoughts on the candidate's "fit" in the organization.

Problems:

 Job Requirements change as the search continues.  Salary requirements are not compatible with talent required  Companies forget to truly "recruit" the candidate  Peak, maximum effectiveness of interviews diminishes after 3 interviews  Companies are losing top talent due to long, drawn-out interview processes. Candidates are being scooped up by your competition (or by companies that have an effective, streamlined hiring process).  Prolonged interview processes can be perceived as indecisiveness thus turning off top potential hires.

Interviewing costs are now exceeding an average of $27,000 per hire, and can take more then 3 months to complete. Having position open for an extended period of time can cost companies as much as $1 million dollars in 6-9 months for some sales positions.

Example:

A Company began a search for a position in August. In February the following year, they began to contact an "Executive Recruiter." The job description was very vague, and the location was undetermined. The salary was $20,000 short of attracting top talent. The company interviewed only candidates who were employed and would be willing to take pay cut.

Result: The company never made the hire. Nine months of time, effort, and money were wasted.

Solution:

Have solid job requirements and specifications of a qualified candidate Set realistic salary expectations Be prepared to actually recruit a candidate (sell them on the opportunity) Set a timely interviewing process (no more then 3 interviews within 3 weeks) Be prepared to make offers quickly Set a timely start date

Summary:

Qualify the need, identify the right skill sets, and get a candidate through the process quickly. This will save your company thousands of dollars. "Time is Money."