OK, you went through a bunch of interviews and they all seemed to go well. Everyone was all smiles and the Hiring Manager says we’ll have an answer for you in a few days. And then a few weeks go by with no word.
You call and either the recruiter or the hiring manager says that there hasn’t been a decision made yet but that you’re a finalist.
And then a few more weeks go by.
So What’s going on?
Back in the day (well almost five years ago) when I was in retained search, I always used to wonder just how did our clients go about making hiring decisions. We would present candidates, really great ones – really. And we would write a profile explaining their strengths and weaknesses and show how they would be successful for our clients.
Naturally, we had candidates we thought were stronger than others but companies would often choose a candidate we thought were qualified but not the most qualified.
There never seemed to be a rational reason.
So when I went into Corporate Recruiting, one of the things I wanted to know was how does a company make a hiring decision. And I did. Guess what, there never seemed to be a rational reason. Hiring Managers and interviewers have pet peeves and sometimes conflicting agendas. It often comes down to liking the person (please see my “It’s Not Who You Know” postings). And that happens in any organization.
But there were structural issues that I had never known about and here are three that have a profound effect on hiring decisions.
1) Budget – usually new positions are worked into the budget during the budget planning process. But because a company adjusts its budget depending on quarterly results a position that’s opened in one quarter may be put on hold until the next quarter or later. Many times, a company won’t say if a position is on hold because the hiring manager believes he can get the position hired if he has “the right person”. And companies never let people know that there’s a “hiring freeze” because it makes them look like they’re in trouble.
2) Group Decisions – many companies are “matrixed” organizations to a greater or lesser degree. When that happens there’s a drive to make hiring decisions on a consensus basis. So if you’re interviewing with fifteen or twenty people, that’s a sure sign that either the hiring manager or the company wants to make a consensus driven decision. Naturally one of two things happen in consensus decisions: Greatest Common Factor or Lowest Common Denominator and it’s usually Lowest Common Denominator – someone who is totally inoffensive that everyone can live with.
And there’s a reason why armies have commanding officers. It takes a long time to get consensus from a large group. Which is why forward thinking, talent based organizations will win the war for talent. These companies will also be on the lookout for great talent in these troubled times.
3) Companies don’t know what they want – usually they start out thinking they know what they want but as hiring managers see resumes and interview people the search often takes on a life of its own. Good hiring managers let this happen within bounds because they all want great people. But sometimes there’s too much choice and they fall victim to paralysis by analysis.
So how can you avoid these delays? Sometimes you can’t. Some companies are institutionally slow. But the best thing you can do is make sure that you identify the key decision makers when you interview. Obviously the Hiring Manager is one but you can also ask the interviewers about the company’s culture and find out who else is a key decision maker like HR and Internal Clients.
But the most important thing you can do is to make sure you stick to your guns and be yourself. You must continue to believe that you’re the right person for any job you’re interviewing for. Make sure that you get all the interviewers’ contact information and add them to your network and follow up with them quickly with individual emails.
Some people will tell you to send notes but that might take too long and you want to try to influence interviewers. Sometimes debrief sessions will take place a day or two later due to scheduling conflicts and you want to be fresh in their minds. Try to build a fan base among your interviewers. Sometimes when an organization is on the fence all it takes is one person championing you to move the decision in your direction.
And if a company takes too long, don’t despair. It might not be the right organization for you. Imagine how frustrated you would be if you were inside the organization rather than outside.
Please feel free to comment or send questions. Let me hear about your experiences.
Remember, your skills are your job security.
Best,
James Seetoo
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