Six interviews later, and still no offer.
Hiring managers – this is for you. We’re hearing this frustration play out across industries from candidates at all levels nationwide. “I keep meeting people, but I have no idea where I stand in the process.”
We must do better.
Hiring timelines have stretched dramatically over the last few years. What once took four to six weeks can now take three to four months. And for senior-level roles, perhaps longer. Now, of course most organizations don’t set out to create lengthy hiring processes. The intentions are good. Leaders want alignment. Stakeholders want input. Companies want to avoid making an expensive hiring mistake.
But somewhere along the way, more interviews often stop creating clarity and start creating confusion. We’ve watched hiring teams add another round because one stakeholder was unavailable. We’ve seen searches pause while budgets are reviewed, leadership teams reorganize, or business priorities shift. We’ve seen candidates meet six different people only to be asked to meet three more. Candidates don’t experience these delays as strategic decision-making. They experience them as uncertainty, and uncertainty creates risk.
We must do better.
The strongest candidates rarely stay available indefinitely. While one company is scheduling a seventh interview, another organization is extending an offer. In today’s market, even with an abundance of talent available, top performers still have options.
What’s particularly interesting is when we hear about candidates who receive mixed signals throughout the process. Hiring managers continue expressing enthusiasm. Recruiters stay engaged. Additional interviews are scheduled. Yet weeks pass without a clear decision, the result of which is that candidates begin to assume they’re being kept warm while the company searches for someone better. Sometimes that’s true but often, it isn’t. And as leaders, it’s our job to control the narrative instead of allowing the narrative to control us.
We must do better.
From our perspective, the issue isn’t necessarily that hiring decisions take time. Executive-level hiring should be thoughtful. The issue is communication. Candidates can handle hearing, “We need another month.” Candidates can handle hearing, “The role is temporarily on hold.” Candidates can even handle hearing, “We’re not ready to move forward.”
What frustrates people is silence and we must do better.
The organizations that consistently attract and land exceptional talent are often the ones that communicate the best. They keep candidates informed. They set realistic expectations. They explain delays when they occur. And they treat candidates with the same level of respect they would expect as consumers, clients, or business partners.
The lesson for employers is simple: if your hiring process has become longer, make sure your communication becomes stronger as well. In today’s market, candidates aren’t just evaluating the opportunity. They’re evaluating how decisions get made inside your organization, and that may be telling them more than the interviews ever could.
We can and must do better.
Singh Hecht Executive Search is a national boutique search firm specializing in the areas of public relations, communications, and marketing.