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How to Make the Hiring Process Easier and Faster · The Science of Leading

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  Hey everyone, welcome back to The Science of Leading.
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  I'm Claire Monroe, and-as always-I'm here with the one and only Edwin
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  Carrington.
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  Sooo... Edwin, how are you doing today?
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  I'm well,
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  Claire.
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  Glad to be back.
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  This topic-it's close to my heart.
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  Hiring smarter, not harder.
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  I've seen so many companies slow themselves down with their own processes.
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  Same
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  here!
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  I mean, I've been on both sides of it.
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  Like,
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  waiting forever for feedback as a candidate... and then sitting through,
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  I don't know, these endless panels when I was on the team side.
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  It's draining.
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  Why are we still doing it that way?
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  Honestly?
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  Habit.
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  There's this idea that more interviews = better decisions... but,
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  in reality, it usually means more confusion.
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  More fatigue.
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  I worked with a tech company once-they had this amazing
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  engineer.
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  Perfect fit.
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  But their hiring dragged on for... over a month.
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  By the time they made the
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  offer?
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  She was gone.
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  Already took something else.
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  It happens a lot more than you'd think.
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  Ugh,
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  that hurts.
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  And it's not just losing a good candidate,
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  right?
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  I mean-what happens to the team that's waiting on that hire?
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  It's rough.
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  You've
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  got teams stretched thin, managers bouncing between meetings,
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  HR drowning in admin...But the real cost?
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  It's not just the open seat.
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  It's the energy drain.
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  The morale hit.
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  And sometimes, the best people?
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  They just... ghost.
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  They won't stick around for a drawn-out process.
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  Yeah,
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  that makes sense.
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  So if you're,
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  like, a team lead or a hiring manager-how do you spot those bottlenecks?
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  Sometimes it's not super obvious where stuff's getting jammed up.
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  Good
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  point.
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  You start with your data-just look at how long each stage takes,
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  when candidates drop off, how many interviews you're really running.
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  Sometimes,
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  just sketching the process on a whiteboard?
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  You'll see steps that... don't actually add value anymore.
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  And honestly-ask
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  your team.
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  They know where the pain is.
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  You just have to listen.
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  Yeah-and I guess there's,
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  like, hidden costs too?
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  Not just time,
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  but... rushing at the end and hiring the wrong person.
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  Or missing someone amazing just because they didn't wanna wait.
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  Exactly.
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  The
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  longer you wait, the more pressure builds.
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  You hit the deadline and suddenly it's: "Well... they're available."That's
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  where hiring goes sideways.
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  And if you're not totally aligned on what you're
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  looking for, you risk bringing in someone who's totally off-culture.
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  That costs way more in the long run.
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  So it's not "go fast for the sake
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  of it"-it's more like... move with purpose?
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  Okay,
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  that makes sense.
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  Let's talk about how companies can actually get smarter
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  about screening-not just faster.
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  Right.
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  The big shift is moving from "gut
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  feeling" to... real data.
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  Things like applicant tracking systems-or,
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  you know, pre-hire assessments-helps you focus in on who's a real match.
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  Technically and culturally.
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  Yeah,
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  I've seen some of those tools in action.
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  It's not just like... coding tests
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  or personality quizzes.
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  Some of them dig into how people think,
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  or deal with pressure, or communicate.
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  It's actually pretty cool.
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  But-I
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  mean-doesn't all that tech come with its own biases?
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  It can.
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  But the best
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  systems?
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  They're designed to reduce bias,
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  not amplify it.
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  Like, structured interviews with the same questions for
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  everyone... blind screening that hides names or photos... that all helps level
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  the playing field.
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  The real trick is: decide what you're measuring before
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  you start.
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  And then stick to it.
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  Okay-but what if you're,
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  like, a small company without a huge budget or fancy tools?
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  Where do you
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  even start if you want to hire more... predictively?
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  Start simple.
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  Even a
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  spreadsheet is better than chaos.
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  There are free or super low-cost applicant
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  systems out there.
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  Just having one place to track resumes and notes makes a difference.
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  And
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  assessments?
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  Some providers have starter plans or trials.
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  But none of it matters if
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  you're not clear on what success looks like in the role.
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  That's your filter.
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  And
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  consistency?
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  Way more important than complexity.
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  Ahhh,
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  okay.
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  That's actually a relief.
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  Because,
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  I think a lot of people-myself included-just assume you need this whole
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  HR army and a five-figure software stack to do this right.
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  Nope.
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  Clarity
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  and process beat bells and whistles every time.
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  And don't forget feedback.
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  Like-after every hire, ask the team:What worked?
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  What didn't?
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  You do that over time... and your process naturally gets sharper.
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  Yeah,
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  and I guess the more you lean on data,
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  the less you end up saying things like..."I don't know,
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  I just had a good feeling about this one."Exactly.
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  Gut instinct has some
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  value-but it shouldn't drive the whole decision.
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  Data keeps you grounded.
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  It helps you see past the surface stuff and focus on what actually matters
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  for the job and the team.
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  Okay-so we've talked about screening,
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  and tools, and not trusting your gut too much...But what about building
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  teams that stay?
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  Like-how do you make sure you're not just plugging holes,
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  but building something that'll last?
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  That's where cultural fit and technical
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  skill have to both show up.
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  You want people who can do the job-but also
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  people who'll stay and thrive.
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  I worked with a manufacturing company-super
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  high turnover, lots of tension in the teams.
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  Eventually,
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  they defined their core values... and started hiring based on those values,
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  not just what someone had on their resume.
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  It changed everything.
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  The team
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  got stronger, more cohesive, and way more invested.
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  Oh wow-so,
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  like... even the job description becomes kind of a culture filter?
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  Not just
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  a laundry list of skills?
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  Exactly.
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  When you write a clear,
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  honest job description-it attracts the right people.
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  And just as importantly?
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  It repels the wrong ones.
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  That saves time on both sides.
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  And when you keep
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  a running list of great candidates-even ones you didn't hire right away-you're
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  not starting from scratch the next time.
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  That's huge.
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  Okay,
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  I love that.
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  And, I mean... getting current employees involved helps too,
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  right?
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  Like, peer interviews-or referrals?
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  Yes.
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  Peer interviews show things formal interviews don't.
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  Referrals often lead
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  to better cultural alignment.
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  And when your team helps build the team?
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  They
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  care more.
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  It's not groupthink-it's shared ownership.
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  So,
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  if I'm hearing you right... the future of hiring isn't just faster.
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  It's
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  about clarity, and consistency,
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  and using tech intentionally-without losing the human side.
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  Exactly.
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  Smart
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  hiring isn't about doing more... it's about doing what matters.
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  Build a process
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  that scales, supports your team,
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  and brings in people who'll thrive.
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  That's how you hire smarter-not harder.
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  Mhhhh
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  okay, that feels like a solid place to wrap it.
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  Edwin,
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  thanks-seriously.
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  Always such good stuff.
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  And to everyone listening-if this was helpful,
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  and you want to actually see how this works in real life,
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  head over to O-A-D dot A-I.
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  You can book a free demo and check out how
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  tools like behavioral assessments help make hiring faster,
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  smarter, and way more aligned.
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  I'm Claire MonroeAnd I'm Edwin Carrington.
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  Take
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  care, and we'll see you next time.
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  Bye for now!