The Hiring Sense recently pointed me to an excellent Career Journal article - - Speed Date A Potential Employer And Get An Offer That Same Day.

The author reminds us what we should already know.

“Time kills all deals,” he says. “I’ve had clients that lost out on candidates because they went the traditional way and dragged their feet for three or four weeks.”

The most frustrating thing for a candidate - - especially a Sales Professional (not to mention a Recruiter) - - is to have a company drag their feet when it’s clear that the person submitted is an excellent fit.

So, as a Recruiter, how do you deal with this harsh reality?

First, understand that each and every company has their own unique interviewing/hiring process. We may not like it, but we do have to respect it. At the same time, each and every company should not only trust you to do your job and find them the best-of-the-best, but they should also be willing to be flexible and expedite the process when necessary for the right person.

As The Hiring Sense points out, remind them that they “are looking at a Salesperson and they make their living by having multiple deals in the pipeline at various stages in the process. They are rewarded when they close. So don’t assume that just because you want to wait a week or two to move a candidate to the next step in the process that the candidate will be idly waiting for you. More than likely, they are moving forward with other deals.”

If that doesn’t work you can always do what we did. Paramount Recruiting Partners, LLC wanted to do something to address the challenges faced on both the candidate and the employer side of this equation.

Our innovative pricing model is the answer to those specific challenges. By encouraging a timely response from the employer (our response to the challenges faced by candidates), we reward them with a lower rate for making a hiring decision sooner rather than later (our response to the challenges faced by employers).

Last year, rates ranged from 12%-40%. Our pricing model gives employers the opportunity to pay as little as 10% per placement, but no more than 30%. We base the rate we charge off of the Hiring Decision Date (or the Date An Offer Is Presented) and not on the Candidate’s Acceptance Date and/or Start Date.

Bottom line, we encourage employers to keep the process moving forward at a steady pace for candidates and reward them with a lower rate/fee for doing so.

The best advice is to keep your process moving, making the necessary decisions, and moving candidates to a conclusion!