I get it. When searching for a job, it’s easy to find the realities of that search depressing and direct criticism at hiring managers (or the recruiter, and it is almost never the recruiter) for slow hiring processes or seeming unresponsive to candidates. However, the reality is that most hiring managers, like myself, are not lazy – we are overwhelmed.

The Many Hats of a Hiring Manager

Hiring managers typically juggle multiple responsibilities beyond just recruiting:

• We are managing our current team and ongoing projects. So many projects and remember we are all putting in too many hours as individual contributors.
• Participating in strategic planning
• Attending meetings and handling administrative tasks
• Staying on top of industry trends and developments

On top of these day-to-day duties, hiring managers must also navigate the complex and time-consuming process of bringing on new team members. And too often, it is easy to get pulled away from hiring as critical issues happen.

The Time-Intensive Nature of Hiring

Recruiting quality candidates is far more involved than many realize:

• Writing detailed job descriptions
• Reviewing resumes and applications (often hundreds per role). Don’t underestimate the allure of just stopping after a certain point, picking your tops, and advancing them.
• Conducting initial phone screenings. Which means coordinating at least two calendars.
• Coordinating and participating in multiple rounds of interviews
• Evaluating candidates and making hiring decisions
• Negotiating offers and onboarding new hires

Studies show the average time to hire is 36 days, with hiring managers spending significant time on each step. For specialized or senior roles, the process can take even longer. In quality i’d love to take only 36 days, or 90.

Competing Priorities

While hiring is crucial, it often competes with other urgent business priorities. Managers must balance recruitment efforts with hitting targets, serving internal and external clients, and keeping current projects on track.

Apologies

Looking for a job sucks for everyone. The searcher hates it; the hiring manager hates the process; HR is just trying to keep things happening. Technology gets introduced, and frankly, it makes it more challenging. But we hiring managers aren’t lazy – we are dedicated professionals trying to balance competing priorities in a high-pressure environment.