Too little, too late: Getting the interview process timing right

As a recruiter for growth-stage companies, there’s a refrain I hear almost daily: “I need this role filled YESTERDAY!” Qualified candidates are put forth, then a common scenario ensues: it takes weeks to get interviews scheduled and conducted. During this time, candidates often get offers from other companies and take themselves out of contention -- and the process needs to start anew, delaying hiring for weeks or even months.

There also is the all-too-familiar scenario when the opposite occurs – an interviewing process is so fast, so rushed that candidates feel a lack of transparency or organization – and are turned off by the company.

This begs the question: What is the right amount of time for the interview process?

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At a time when there are not enough qualified candidates on the market to fill available roles, a candidate who has a less-than-optimal experience during the interview phase – whether feeling rushed, sensing disorganization or getting frustrated by a drawn-out process – will likely take his or her talents elsewhere.

While every company is different, requiring unique approaches to interviewing, I see three common pitfalls among growth-stage companies as they build their sales and marketing teams:

• Employing the assembly line approach. This happens when a company brings in a candidate for a half day of back-to-back 30-minutes interviews, typically starting with HR, moving on to a few peers, throwing in a random colleague or two and ending with a VP. While this certainly helps to maximize a candidate’s time, the approach can make a candidate feel like a contestant on Survivor or someone at a speed dating event. It also is very difficult to assess someone in 30 minutes, especially if the interviewers are unprepared or shooting from the hip. Did the interviewers meet as a team ahead of time to make a plan? Did each interviewer have an objective? Did each interviewer know exactly what to ask and what to evaluate? If the answer to any of these questions is no, this approach will not yield the best fit for the organization.

• Taking too long. I define too long as more than two weeks for a mid-level candidate and three to four weeks for senior leadership. In today’s market for strong candidates, it’s not a question of whether your candidate will receive a competing offer while you are going through the interview process; the question is how many he or she will receive. Plus, if hiring is a priority, keep in mind that most candidates will want to give at least two weeks’ notice. So if your interview process takes six weeks, you are looking at a start date of two months from the first interview. If your process is taking too long, ask yourself what is getting in the way of bringing someone in the door quickly – within a week of identifying the candidate – and moving them forward. For instance, putting some flexibility into when you will conduct interviews – before and after the standard work day, say – will go a long way toward getting candidates in the door more quickly and buy you points with candidates. Another way to avoid a lengthy process? Read our blog about why CEOs should not interview sales candidates.

• Assessing culture fit at the end. – This should be first, before drilling down on a candidate’s experience. I’ve seen candidates make it to the end of a process and then get feedback that they were "not a culture fit." Even worse I’ve seen candidates considered for an offer that the team deemed "maybe not a culture fit, but really good." Every company should have a few employees that are trained to interview for the organization's values and culture. Without question, this interview should be done first as it will prevent a hiring manager from falling in love with a candidate's skill set and potentially hiring a candidate that can damage the team's culture.

Do you feel like you have fallen victim to one of these pitfalls or your hiring process needs a little help? Contact Captivate Talent to understand how you can optimize the interview experience and build the best candidate experience possible.