Many of the companies we work with are hiring fewer people this year. That changes what a good hiring process looks like.
Each hire carries more weight
In a growth year, one weak hire in a batch of twenty is absorbed. In a lean year, the team is smaller and every person covers more ground. A wrong hire is felt within weeks.
What to change
- Write a sharper brief. Agree the five things the person must be able to do. Everything else is a preference.
- Test the work. A short, realistic exercise tells you more than another interview round.
- Check the terms early. Notice period, pay expectations and location should be confirmed before the first interview.
- Ask for reasons. Whoever is sourcing for you should explain in writing why each person is on the list.
Slower is fine. Wrong is expensive.
A role that stays open for two more weeks costs you some output. A role filled by the wrong person costs you the search, the salary, the team's time, and then the search again.