I’ve been in recruiting now for 20 years. Can you believe it! That I started recruiting at 10-years-old.
The other day I was thinking about how the word “fast” takes on many different definitions when you talk to various hiring managers, or in my case, various hiring managers at various companies.
When most people think of the word “fast,” I assume they are thinking about timing – quick timing, short timing, etc. In the recruiting world when a hiring manager tells you, “We need to fill this position ‘Fast’!” 99.9 percent of recruiters will feel that means if I find a good candidate, that manager will move right away to interview, offer and fill the position.
Not so “fast” my friends!
How do you define “fast” ?
When I hear “fast” come out of a hiring manager’s mouth, I get excited! Finally! A hiring manager who wants to move – a go-getter, a doer, I’m closing this puppy by the end of the week! In my mind, I start to calculate how “fast” we can actually fill this position — it’s Monday, so I can find a candidate by Tuesday, interview on Wednesday, offer on Thursday. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the candidate can start on Monday!
That’s like hitting for the cycle in recruiting! A one week recruiting process – now that’s “fast”!
Here’s how Webster defines “fast“:
1.
a : firmly fixed <roots fast in the ground>
b : tightly shut <the drawers were fast>
c : adhering firmly
d : not easily freed : stuck <a ball fast in the mouth of the cannon>
e : stable <movable items were made fast to the deck>
2.
a: firmly loyal <became fast friends>
It’s not until you get down to the third definition in Webster’s that you being hearing words like quick and rapid.
A different sense of what fast actually is
Now as a recruiter, “fast,” in terms of a hiring manager makes complete sense! Firmly fixed! Tight! Adhering firm! Not easily freed. Yes, 20 years is how long I’ve been recruiting and thinking that “fast” actually meant “quick” and “rapid” when filling positions. Now, I just feel stupid!
This whole time I thought hiring managers wanted me to fill their positions quickly. So many days of being frustrated when the hiring managers were slow to move on candidates, when I thought they were going to move “fast,” now only to find out they were moving “fast” – hiring manager “fast” …
I’m sure HR never would define “fast” like a hiring manager.
This was originally published on Tim Sackett’s blog, The Tim Sackett Project.