The hiring process is an excellent opportunity to not only get the best talent on your team, but to find the right person that can make a long-term difference to your organization. The hiring process is generally straightforward, but there are many pitfalls along the way. The biggest of which is a mistake that you may not even realize you are making: dragging on the hiring process. The average length of the job interview process is about 27.5 days. Does your hiring process seem to drag on longer than that? A prolonged hiring process causes problems for both the short and long term. Here are a few:

Time is money. The longer a vacant position stays vacant, the longer your team or organization stays below productivity. Another employee may have to cover for the responsibilities of the vacant positions, thus taking them away from their own responsibilities. Think of how many clients aren’t being serviced correctly because of the position being left vacant. Or what parts of your processes are suffering because you are understaffed?

Companies lose as many as 89% of potential candidates due to prolonged screening process. The truth is, top candidates aren’t only interviewing at your company. If a candidate has no idea where they stand in your mind as a hiring authority, they will move on. Top candidates want to know that they are one of your top choices and expect to be kept in the loop. You can’t expect candidates to be waiting around for a call or an email, be proactive in communicating with them.

When a candidate is stranded waiting for a call about the next interview or if they got an offer, your brand image is damaged. They are left with a sour taste in their mouth. Instead referring their network to check out your organization, a candidate is more likely to discourage colleagues and friends from applying. Before applying for a position, many candidates will look at your company reviews from past employees. They do their research. Make sure you are doing your best to maintain your employer brand image by focusing on making your hiring process more efficient.

Allowing your hiring process to drag on can have lasting effects for your company and may cause you to lose the best talent. Be proactive in communicating with candidates, act swiftly, have all processes in place, and have all involved parties be ready to act in every given step. If you apply these principles, you can be sure you’ll get the best talent on your now and in the future.