“We’re Not in a Hurry to Hire”...

There is a phrase we often hear from companies that are recruiting:

“We’re not in a hurry. We want to find the right person.”

At first glance, it sounds like an excellent approach.

After all, hiring someone is an important decision. It is preferable to wait for the right candidate rather than hire someone simply because they are available.

But there is one question that few companies ask:

How much is waiting actually costing us?

Because an open position does not necessarily mean that the business has come to a standstill. It often means that someone is taking on additional responsibilities. That a team is working beyond its capacity. That a Director is spending time on tasks they should not be doing. That certain projects are being delayed. That commercial opportunities may be being missed. And, in some cases, that employees themselves are starting to wonder why the company is taking so long to strengthen the team.

“We’re not in a hurry” can be an expensive decision.

Imagine a company looking for a Sales Director. The process starts in January. In February, they are still reviewing candidates.

In March, they are still conducting interviews. In April, they decide that “perhaps it would be better to wait for someone even better”.

Meanwhile, four months have passed.

The cost of the vacant position does not appear on a payroll sheet. But it exists.

It is reflected in revenue that was not generated. In clients who were not visited. In decisions that were left unmade. In a team left without leadership. In the energy the organisation has lost.

The cost of a hire is not just the salary of the person we are going to hire.

There is also the cost of not hiring.

And there is another problem.

The longer the process takes, the greater the risk of losing the best candidates.

Good professionals do not remain available indefinitely. An interesting candidate may be on the market today and accept another offer tomorrow.

While one company is still discussing internally whether to move forward, another may already have made a decision.

And here lies the irony:

Companies say they are not in a hurry to hire, but the best candidates are in a hurry to decide.

Looking for the right person does not mean waiting indefinitely.

I am not advocating rushed recruitment processes. Quite the opposite.

A good hire takes time. Time to understand the role, assess skills, understand motivations and determine whether there is genuine alignment between the candidate and the organisation.

But there is a huge difference between being thorough and being indecisive.

Being thorough means analysing carefully before making a decision.

Being indecisive means continuing to search even when you already have a candidate who is good enough for the role.

And that difference can cost a lot of money.

Perhaps the question should be a different one.

Instead of asking: “Are we in a hurry to hire?”

Perhaps we should ask: “How much does every month that this position remains vacant cost us?”

Because when we look at it this way, the perspective changes.

Recruitment stops being just an expense. It becomes a business decision.

And, very often, the most expensive decision is not hiring the wrong person.

It is taking too long to hire the right one.