Timing can be crucial when it comes to recruiting. Talented candidates find jobs quickly, so it is important that your hiring process allows you to move potential hires from one round to the next efficiently.
We believe the best way to manage a recruiting process involves what we call “rolling admissions.” Rather than moving candidates through each round of interviews in lockstep, this method moves strong candidates through to the next phases of the hiring process quickly while the company continues interviewing new candidates. For example, when candidates do well on the first interview, we recommend sending them on to the next round immediately while we continue to look for strong candidates.
Some companies conduct their first round interviews and then decide which candidates to send to the second round. This can be risky, especially with junior candidates. During the time it takes to finish the first round of interviews, a top candidate may be close to the end of the process with another firm. When firms do not follow up on their first round of interviews for several weeks, candidates may assume that the company is not particularly interested in them. They may lose interest in the job or broaden their search to potentially faster moving opportunities while awaiting your response. We stay on top of candidates to make sure they understand the timeline, but the delay can erode candidates’ interest.
“Rolling admission” allows firms to compete for candidates who are often interviewing at other companies as well. It can sometimes take longer than expected to reach candidates or to find mutual availability in the calendars. Calendar issues slow the interview process, and the longer timeline exacerbates the problem.
Occasionally, strong candidates emerge after a search has begun. When moving all candidates through a process together, it may be difficult to incorporate a strong candidate who emerges later. They may have just started their job hunt or did not respond to outreach in a timely manner. “Rolling admission” allows a candidate into the interview queue and the company can then fast-track them if they look like a particularly good fit.
When planning a hiring process, it is critical to remember that many candidates are actively looking for positions, and that other firms are actively looking to hire. As recruiters, it is our job to communicate with candidates and understand where they are in their searches, so that we can advise your decision about whether to accelerate someone’s process. When launching a search, it is helpful to have a plan for fast-tracking candidates who are far along in other processes, or who are particularly strong fits. We recommend only expediting the process for the most outstanding candidates, but being able to do so will help ensure that timing does not interfere.
