Why PANIC is ruining your hiring efforts!

If I could give you one piece of hiring advice: Stop panicking. Slow down to speed up. Let me break that concept down for us.

This scenario happens too often:

What Managers say: “HELP! We need to fill this job ASAP! Can you send us resumes right away?! The Manager is dying to have someone in this seat right away. We are really overwhelmed and need this person right away. Help us!!” The Managers are panicked. In turn, their Recruitment partners start to panic. They call candidates in a frantic tone and tell them the process is urgent! So, resumes are sent over. The process begins and the Manager then... stalls. The Manager has no time to review resumes, interview, share feedback or schedule follow-up rounds. They’ve ultimately rushed at the start, and then completely slowed down….which in turn has killed the candidate experience!

What candidates say: “Wait a minute, why is this company in such a rush to hire? What happened to the last person in this role? Why doesn’t this firm have enough staff in place to keep things afloat? Do they even care about who they hire, or do they just want to rush to put someone in the seat? Why are they so stressed out and frazzled? Why did they make me rush to meet them for first rounds, and then ghost me? Why don’t they have better recruitment processes in place? Why are they so disorganized?

What happens to you employer brand: These disgruntled candidates tell their friends/colleagues/social media networks: This brand is: disorganized, frazzled, overwhelmed. This type of reputation harms your ability to attract and retain talent.

Let’s consider the opposite (recommended!) approach:

What Managers say: “Hi! We are eager to hire someone for this role but recognize the importance of providing an exceptional candidate experience. We'd love to partner with our Recruitment experts to ensure we have the best job description in place to attract talent, the best career trajectory in place to retain that talent, and let's ensure that our team is properly trained on interviewing. We also need to have a seamless interview process that feels relaxed and positive for candidates! We are willing to take a week or two at the start to get our recruitment process ironed out. Then, we recognize we’ll move things along a bit quicker once we have a top candidate or two in process.”

What Candidates say: ‘Wow. This employer has been so accommodating and respectful. It’s clear they know what they want, and each interview has been kind and consistent in their message. They’ve also demonstrated that they are patient and curious by getting to know me and my goals. They’ve been active listeners and taking time with me. You can tell they care about who they bring into their organization, and are being very thoughtful, deliberate and process-oriented. I am feeling more comfortable about pursuing them!”

What happens to your employer brand: These impressed candidates tell their friends/colleagues/social media networks: This brand is: thoughtful, organized and respectful of candidates. This is fabulous for your organization’s employer brand and your ability to attract and retain talent.

So, some in my network they say “Ugh, who wants a slow process?! I want jobs filled fast!” I agree. I am not suggesting you keep searches open for months on end. In fact, the searches I work on are often filled quicker than the average, but my Managers and I spend the bulk of the time slowing down at the start of the search.

I always think of this quote:"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." - Abraham Lincoln

Let’s spend longer with Hiring Managers at the start of the process. Then, let’s encourage them to speed up!

Recruiters: Slow your Hiring Managers down at the start. Help them iron out their interviewing process, efforts and approach. They will likely need some training. Spend a week or two ensuring you have all parties engaged, ready and organized. Then, coach them to speed things up once they have a top candidate or two in the process. We don’t want them dragging their feet once that happens! Keep empowering them to understand the importance of candidate experience.

Hiring Managers: Chill out for a minute. I know, you’re so eager to hire! That’s good. But channel that excitement into strategy instead of panic. Listen to your Recruitment partners, be an active participant, ask them questions, work on improving. Be willing to trust the process put in place, and ensure you are treating candidates super well. It’s not just your personal brand at stake, but also your employer brand.

Let us know about your efforts: Have you found success by ‘slowing down to speed up’ in hiring? Have you found rushing and being frazzled has harmed your hiring efforts in the past? We look forward to hearing from you!

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