We placed a VP of Engineering last month. Great candidate — strong technical background, excellent leadership track record, multiple offers in play. Our client wanted him. He wanted the role. Everything aligned.

Except the process took five weeks to get to an offer. By the time it arrived, he’d already accepted somewhere else. A company that moved in twelve days.

This story isn’t unusual. It happens every week. And the frustrating part is that it’s almost always preventable.

The Numbers Are Clear

Based on our placement data over the past 18 months, here’s what we’re seeing in the Austin market:

• Top candidates are available for 10-14 days on average before accepting an offer. Not 30 days. Not 45 days. Two weeks.
• The average hiring process takes 28-35 days from first screen to offer. That’s more than double the window you have.
• Every additional week in the process meaningfully reduces your close rate. By week five, you’re competing against offers the candidate has already received — and often losing.
• The majority of candidates we speak with have abandoned a process they were genuinely interested in because it moved too slowly.

The math doesn’t work. If your process is designed for a five-week timeline and the talent you want disappears in two weeks, your process is the problem.

The Five Things That Slow You Down

1. Too Many Interview Rounds

We regularly see processes with five, six, or seven interview rounds. Panel interview. Technical assessment. Case study. Culture fit interview. Skip-level interview. Founder interview. Board member coffee chat.

Each round adds days to the timeline and increases the risk of candidate drop-off. The best hiring teams we work with cap their process at three to four rounds total, and they schedule them within a compressed window — ideally five to seven business days from first screen to final interview.

2. Unclear Decision-Making Authority

“We loved the candidate, but we need to check with [person who wasn’t in the interview].” This is a process design failure. Every person who has a vote on the hire should be part of the interview loop. If a stakeholder can veto the decision but isn’t included in the process, you’ve built in a structural delay.

Define your decision-makers upfront. Get them scheduled before the first interview, not after the last one.

3. Ghosting Candidates Between Rounds

The silence between interview rounds is where you lose people. A candidate has a great second interview on Tuesday. They hear nothing for eight days. During those eight days, another company has moved them through two rounds and extended an offer.

Simple fix: set an internal SLA for candidate communication. Every candidate hears from you within 48 hours of any interview, even if the update is “we’re still in process.” Silence communicates disinterest, and candidates interpret it exactly that way.

4. The Compensation Conversation Happens Too Late

Nothing wastes more time than running a candidate through four rounds of interviews and then discovering you’re $40K apart on compensation. Have the compensation conversation early — ideally in the first recruiter screen. Confirm the range, confirm the candidate’s expectations, and make sure there’s alignment before investing everyone’s time.

This isn’t about anchoring or negotiation tactics. It’s about respecting the candidate’s time and your own.

5. Waiting for the “Perfect” Candidate

This one is more philosophical, but it’s real. Some hiring managers hold out for a unicorn candidate who checks every single box — and in the process, they pass on excellent candidates who check 85% of the boxes and could be transformative in the role.

Perfection is the enemy of great hiring. If a candidate can do the job, grow in the role, and add value to your team, move on them. The mythical perfect candidate is either not available or not as perfect as you think.

What the Best Teams Do Differently

The hiring teams with the highest close rates in our experience share these characteristics:

They pre-build the process before opening the role. Interview panels are scheduled, scorecards are defined, compensation ranges are approved, and decision timelines are set — all before the first resume arrives.

They move in parallel, not sequentially. Instead of waiting for one interviewer’s feedback before scheduling the next round, they run multiple interviews in the same week.

They designate a process owner. One person — usually the recruiter or hiring manager — is accountable for keeping the process on timeline. They have the authority to escalate delays and hold stakeholders accountable.

They treat the candidate experience as a product. Every touchpoint is intentional. Communication is prompt, professional, and personal. Logistics are handled smoothly. The candidate should leave the process — even if they don’t get the offer — thinking, “That was a well-run organization.”

The Bottom Line

Your hiring process is a reflection of your company. If it’s slow, disorganized, and uncommunicative, candidates will assume your company operates the same way. And in a market where top talent has options, they’ll choose the company that demonstrated competence and respect throughout the process.

Speed isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about removing unnecessary friction and showing candidates that you value their time as much as your own.

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Scherer Talent is a boutique recruiting firm based in Austin, TX. We specialize in digital transformation, technology, and leadership roles. Schedule a call to discuss your search.