In our last blog we touched on the changing landscape of the hiring process and timeline along with the importance of adaptation in both to secure your next hire. For those of you that missed our last post, it can be found here.

There is an old adage in the business world that applies to the hiring process more than you may think. You may know it better as “time kills all deals.” Whether we like to admit it or not, a sense of urgency is an integral part of two sides coming together for mutual benefit. In this case, that means you securing top talent for your organization.

Competition for talent has heated up. As mentioned in the last blog, there are now more available seats than folks to fill them. If you are not creating urgency within your recruiting process you are creating talent vulnerability. Below are some tips on how to create urgency within your hiring process to help secure your next hire.

• Keep the interview process efficient and timely. Sure, it can be hectic when you have other deadlines to meet. However, making the time to conduct multiple interviews in a relatively short time period can help keep the candidate engaged and attracted to your group. If significant time passes between meetings, they may start to think you have lost interest and in turn they start to lose interest.

• Be decisive in your selection. This applies to who to interview, who to bring back to meet again, and to whom an offer is made. From time to time, we all wonder in the back of our minds if there is something better out there. This is not the time to let that thought get in the way. If you wait around to see one or two more candidates, your lead candidate may be gone by the time you’re ready to pull the trigger.

• Beware the search for the legendary “Purple Squirrel”! You know, the perfect candidate that may not actually exist but is so tempting to land. In the meantime, don’t pass up on that great, “real life” candidate as you continue hunting for this mythical beast.