When a strong engineer enters your process, a clock starts. You just can't see it.
The engineers worth hiring are rarely talking to one company. Even the ones who weren't looking when I first called them start getting other calls once they decide to make a move. Every day they wait to hear back from you, another team gets a chance to move faster.
What slow feedback actually costs
It's easy to think of feedback as a formality. Interview on Monday, discuss it at next week's staff meeting, send a decision after that. But from the candidate's side, silence reads as a no. Their interest drops, they lean into the other process, and by the time feedback arrives, they've accepted something else.
Then the search starts over. Sourcing, screening, first interviews, the whole cycle. The cost isn't the delay. It's the restart.
A fast no matters too
Quick feedback isn't only about saying yes faster. A fast, honest no is just as valuable. It lets me adjust the search right away instead of waiting on a candidate who was never going to move forward. And engineers remember the companies that respected their time, even the ones that passed.
What helps
- Decide who gives feedback before interviews start. When everyone involved in interviews knows they owe input, it doesn't stall in someone's inbox.
- Hold interview time on calendars ahead of time. The hardest part of moving fast is usually scheduling.
- Share the reason, not just the decision. I vet every candidate's background before you meet them, so your interview is where the finer points come out. "Not enough PCB design ownership" after hearing them walk through their work helps me find the right next engineer. "Not a fit" doesn't.
When I won't push you to rush
Speed matters, but I won't use it as a pressure tactic. If a candidate already has an offer they want and plans to accept, I'll tell you. I'd rather save your team the time than push you to hurry for someone who isn't seriously considering your role.
Good hiring isn't about moving recklessly. It's about not losing the right engineer to a slow process.