If you’re looking to hire someone in a specific time frame, the easiest way is to go through the process of interview scheduling.

First, look at what the start date needs to be and which day that is. Usually, the departing employee will put in a two-week notice, so just back that date up by two weeks. Then, consider how long it takes for you to put out an offer. Since this usually takes a couple days, back the date up two more days—that’s the day the final interview should take place.

Next, look at your hiring process, figure out how many interviews you have during that time frame, and continue to back the date up realistically according to how long it takes to get feedback from the people involved in this process. Keep backing up those dates and mark your calendar for what day that particular part of the process must happen.

“Don’t get caught in a holding process.”

After that, ask yourself how long it typically takes you to find a candidate. In today’s market, even though there are a lot of opportunities out there, it’s usually a 30-day process from when you launch the project to the time you have a shortlist of candidates to interview.

Marking this final date not only puts something specific in place for you, but it also allows the people involved in the interviewing process to tentatively mark their calendars on the dates you need those interviews scheduled. This way, you don’t get caught in a situation where certain people are traveling and you can’t pin them down for a particular date and now everyone’s in a holding process. It also allows candidates to make the appropriate concessions if they have to travel for interviews.

If you have any questions about interview scheduling, please feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We’d be happy to assist you.