The hiring process is crucial for a successful company. Finding the right people with the skills and motivation to drive the business forward gives a significant advantage. However, many organizations struggle with long, inefficient interview processes that last for weeks.

If your usual process involves putting candidates through five, or more rounds of interviews before making a decision, it’s a sign that something’s wrong. Here’s why too many interviews are bad for both the company and the candidates:

For Candidates:

• It’s frustrating and demoralizing, even if they get an offer.
• It shows disorganization and unclear expectations about the role.
• It suggests the company might have a bureaucratic culture and struggle to make decisions.
• It increases the chances of top candidates dropping out to pursue other opportunities.

For the Company:

• It indicates a lack of clarity about what the role requires.
• It suggests there’s no clear, consistent interview process.
• It shows poor coordination among the people involved in hiring.
• It wastes time and resources.

When the interview process drags on, it suggests the company isn’t sure what they’re looking for in candidates. This reveals issues with decision-making, organization, and communication.

So, what’s the solution?

While some variation may be needed for different roles, research shows that most hiring teams can thoroughly evaluate candidates in three rounds:

• Initial phone screening
• Skills assessment (practical tasks, presentations, etc.)
• Behavioral and culture-fit evaluation

More than this tends to be inefficient and suggests the hiring team didn’t prepare well enough.

Signs Your Process Needs Improvement:

• Relying too much on vague “culture fit” evaluations instead of assessing skills.
• Different interviewers looking for different things.
• Panels include people who aren’t directly involved in the role.
• Hiring managers do not have the final say, leading to unnecessary oversight.

To improve the process, establish clear criteria aligned with the role. Train interviewers well and create a culture that enhances existing norms. Give key stakeholders the authority to make decisions.

Above all, empower hiring managers to sell the role and company vision. Exceptional candidates have options, so a quick, efficient process shows you’re organized and makes them excited about joining. 

If hiring is taking too long, it’s time for a thorough rethink from start to finish.