Talent. Timing. Tenacity.
It’s no surprise that quality candidates don’t have long on the market before shifting to other opportunities. We are seeing more and more individuals stay at a company for less than two years and it seems to be becoming the norm. With this pattern, it’s unreasonable to think people would put all their eggs in one basket when exploring new career possibilities.
Throughout my experience in the worlds of both recruiting and HR, I’ve discovered the importance of having tenacity when it comes to top talent in the pipeline. I can’t tell you how many times a client has lost out on some of the most qualified talent because they were too slow with their hiring process.
Whether you’re the hiring manager or recruiter, it’s important to ask yourself: are they/are we really ready to hire?
It’s critical to set expectations upfront to understand a company’s timeline if they are ready to hire. Are they able to keep a timely interview schedule? Typically, top candidates are only open for about a two-week window where they transition from passive to active (ten days according to officevibe.com.) Companies who understand this tend to have some of the best thought leaders in the space because they are not afraid to expedite a process when they see someone who could add value to their company.
I know the importance of timing and tenacity in the hiring process firsthand; I was working with a B2B software giant in San Francisco who needed a marketer to oversee their demand generation efforts, but their interview process was too drawn out. The client loved the candidate and attempted to speed the process up, but one interview per week in a four-step interview process wasn’t speedy enough despite my encouragement to act on top talent. This resulted in competing company swooping in and stealing the candidate in a quick, week-long process during the final stages with my client and candidate.
There are plenty of other reasons a company may not obtain great talent—everything from inadequate compensation, a lack of opportunity for advancement, cultural alignment differences, and so on. But there’s no reason to let a lack of timing or tenacity be the reason you lose out on top talent. That’s why my advice to hiring managers, recruiters, and candidates is one and the same: be tenacious when it comes to securing the next position.
Time flies, and so does top talent.
If your company needs help finding the right talent, contact us today! For more career tips and advice check out Versique’s blog.
