Recruiting is a Marathon, not a Sprint.
I was talking with a high-level leader, we’ll call him Jack, who described a recent experience he had while working with a recruiting firm. The firm had introduced him to a client who immediately contacted him and expediently flew him out to interview at HQ for a executive position.. It wasn’t long into the meeting that Jack felt the interview wasn’t going well, that this may not be quite the right fit, but the most surprising part was that he never heard back from the company, and only from the recruiting firm after reaching out several times over the course of more than a month. Why the rush to fly him out to HQ as soon as possible only to ghost him after the fact?
Hiring is always difficult because the people who know the job the best are too busy doing the job, or leading those who do the job, to take the necessary time away to recruit and hire. This leaves companies relying upon corporate HR professionals or 3rd party recruiters for help. The most effective 3rd party recruiting firms are ones that specialize in an industry, with many focusing on a specific business function (engineering or sales, etc.) within a specific industry. They are the most effective because they understand the industry, product category, competitors, and all the nuances that lie within. The knowledge that a 3rd party recruiter carries can be their great strength. After all, we spend all our time talking to your competitors and their employees. We are a wealth of knowledge!
However, what took place with Jack was the opposite: it was a recruiting firm known for their ability to push. Push hiring managers to interview candidates regardless of fit, and also push candidates to interview for jobs before they’ve had enough time to properly assess them. When this happens, everyone loses. Recruiters sell our services as a way for our clients to save time and money: keep your leaders leading while we find the best candidates in far less time. The diligence still needs to be done to properly understand the company, open position, candidates, and the nuances that are the difference between a company looking to fill the position again within 18 months vs having found the right fit who builds a career within the organization.
As leaders, you need to recognize if your recruiting efforts are just to put warm bodies in positions, in which case you can thank yourself for all the headaches you’re dealing with, or if your recruiting efforts are helping you build teams and a culture that promotes a great workplace. Even though we want to be fast, reduce your teams’ downtime, and get the best individuals in front of you in 30 days or less, recruiting is still a marathon and not a sprint.
