I used to think hiring fast was the only way to grow, now I wait months for the right person

For the first few years, I'd fill any open role in my marketing agency within two weeks, scared of losing momentum. After a bad hire in 2022 cost us a $15k client and three months of team drama, I changed my rule. Now, I keep interviewing even if it takes four months, and I make the final two candidates do a real paid test project. It slows things down but the quality of work and team fit is just different. Anyone else switch from a 'hire fast' to a 'hire slow' mindset and how did it affect your growth?

3 comments

3 Comments

nora_park721d ago

Yeah, but the real cost isn't just time, it's the projects you can't even take on. I held a role open for five months once, and yeah, it hurt. But that meant I had to say no to a huge website project because we didn't have the right designer. That lost money stings, but it's a clean cut. A bad hire is like a slow bleed, like @reeseb73 said, you get the drama and the client loss. That designer I finally got? She built a system that let us take on three of those big projects the next year. The wait paid for itself.

reeseb731mo ago

Seriously, four months and a test project for a marketing job?

christopher_craig1mo ago

That's a crazy long hiring process. Companies are way too picky these days. They'll lose good people with that nonsense.