When to Speed Up or Slow Down Your Interview Process

In an ideal situation, all of your candidates for a role would enter and complete each step in your interview process at the same time. In reality, candidates often enter and move through an interview process at different times and speeds. For example, Candidate A might complete their first two interviews with your company before you even make contact with Candidate B. Therefore, it’s critical to consider timing and pacing with each candidate that you interview.

There are times when it’s essential to move faster, and there are times when you are actually better off moving slower. In this article, you will learn three situations when you should speed up your interview process and three situations when you should slow it down.

When to Speed Up Your Interview Process

Here are three situations when you typically want to move faster:

1. When a top candidate is earlier in your interview process than a backup candidate. Since candidates often enter an interview process at different times, there are often situations when your top choice is earlier in your interview process than another candidate who is viable but not quite as strong. In that case, try to speed up your process with your top choice, so that you don’t have to keep your backup candidate on hold for too long.
2. When a top candidate wants you to move faster. Sometimes, a top candidate will want you to move faster. For example, maybe he is further along on an opportunity with another company. In that case, moving faster might be your only chance to land him. Otherwise, another company could hire him first.
3. When you are ready to make an offer. Every candidate wants to feel wanted. Once you have decided to hire someone, make your intentions clear to the candidate by moving quickly. If you move too slowly, your top choice could lose interest in your role or pursue another opportunity instead. As the saying goes, “time kills all deals.”

When to Slow Down Your Interview Process

Here are three situations when you typically want to move slower:

1. When a backup candidate is further in your interview process than your top candidate. As noted above, there are often situations when a backup candidate ends up being further in your interview process than a preferred candidate that you made contact with more recently. In such a situation, try to slow down your process with the backup candidate, while the preferred candidate catches up or moves ahead in your process.
2. When a top candidate wants you to move slower. While every candidate wants to feel wanted, some candidates will want to move more slowly than others. For example, maybe a top candidate needs time to focus on a critical project for his current employer. Or, maybe the candidate is due a large bonus in four months, and he doesn’t want to leave before that is paid out. As long as the timing is not a deal-breaker, you might need to slow down your process for a top candidate. That could be the only way to land him.
3. When you are just starting a search. At the start of a search, you might not be familiar yet with the quality and quantity of the talent pool. In addition, you might not really know what caliber of executive you can attract for your role. Take your time at the start of the search, so that you can analyze the talent pool and build a pipeline of viable candidates to compare and contrast.

Set Expectations on Timing and Next Steps

Regardless of whether your company wants to move faster or slower with a candidate, it’s also important to consider what the candidate wants and expects. Candidates don’t like surprises during the interview process.

Moving slower than expected is a turn-off and makes someone wonder if he is merely a backup option. In contrast, moving faster than expected can also make someone uncomfortable. It might make him feel pressured or smothered.

At the end of each step in your interview process, discuss timing and next steps with the candidate. If you and the candidate each want to move to the next step in your process, be specific about timing and what happens next. On the other hand, if you or the candidate aren’t sure yet about if or when to move to the next step, keep the follow-up open-ended or set the next step for further out.

Timing and pacing become even more important at the later stages in your interview process. You might not end up with your top choice if you move too slowly or too quickly.

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About the author: As the Founder of Stronger Talent, Pete Leibman recruits exceptional leaders for innovative sports, fitness, and wellness companies. Throughout his career, Pete has helped clients recruit exceptional leaders at the Board, C-Suite, Senior Vice President, Vice President, General Manager, Managing Director, and Director levels. Pete’s work has been featured on Fox News, CBS Radio, and Fortune.com, and he is the author of two books and over 250 articles on career management, peak performance, and executive recruiting.