Yes, You’re Taking Too Long to Hire

The Catholic Church can elect a new pope—arguably one of the most high-stakes leadership roles in the world—in two days. Two. Days.

Meanwhile, some companies take two months, six rounds of interviews, three panel discussions and a “quick” follow-up coffee before deciding if they’re ready to extend an offer.

Here’s the truth: if you need eight rounds of interviews and dozens of touch points to make a decision, the problem isn’t the candidate—it might just be your hiring process.

The Interview Trap

We’ve seen it too many times:

A company gets excited about a candidate.

The early interviews go great.

Then the process stretches out… and out… and out.

Another interview. And another. And then a “quick” coffee meeting. Weeks pass. Your inbox has a stack of unread emails from the candidate, checking in on “next steps.”

Sometimes it’s because “that’s how we’ve always done it.” Sometimes it’s because too many people want to weigh in. And sometimes it’s because the initial urgency fizzles and feedback gets delayed for weeks.

By the time everyone’s ready to say yes, the candidate’s already said yes—to someone else.

Decision by Committee = No Decision at All

When too many people are involved in the hiring decision, you slow the process to a crawl. The scheduling alone can take weeks, and every added voice dilutes clarity.

Instead:

• Limit decision-makers to three to five people.
• Assign each person a clear focus—skills, leadership style, culture fit—so there’s no redundancy.
• Commit to giving feedback within 24–48 hours after each interview.

Why Three Interviews Are (Almost Always) Enough

We recommend capping the process at three interviews.

One of the biggest perks of working with an executive search firm like Lee Group Search—aside from our charming personalities—is that we’re professional recruiters.

This is what we do. All day. Every day. By the time a candidate makes it to your interview table, we’ve already done the heavy lifting: sourcing, vetting, reference-checking and making sure they’re actually interested (and interesting).

You’re starting with the best of the best, not a random stack of résumés from the internet.

Which means you don’t need eight interviews to figure out who can do the job—you just need to choose which top contender you want to win with.

The War for Talent Rewards Speed

You don’t win the war for top talent in renewable energy by dragging your feet. Every extra step you add is an open door for another company to swoop in and close the deal.

Move with purpose. Show your candidate that your organization is decisive, focused and capable of acting when it counts. Because the way you hire is the first example they’ll see of how you lead.

Bottom line: If the Vatican can make one of the biggest leadership decisions in the world in two days, you can probably hire your next executive in less than eight interviews.