The recruiting advantage: Why quick decisions bring in better talent
Speed in recruiting is not an operational detail, but a strategic competitive factor. Companies that take too long to make decisions systematically lose the best candidates to more agile competitors. Studies also show that longer processes do not result in better hires. On the contrary.
It’s high time to replace outdated application rituals with new ones.
The costly misconception: thoroughness takes time
The average time-to-hire is now 44 days, and this figure is rising. Just a year ago, it was 31 days. Many companies believe that taking this time is a necessary investment in diligence. But while internal discussions are ongoing, something else is happening: almost half of all candidates already have several offers to choose from. The top 10 percent disappear from the market within a few days.
In other words, every delay reduces the chance that the ideal candidate will still be available. What is internally understood as a thorough review is experienced as hesitation, bureaucracy, and a lack of appreciation by applicants. The fact that almost half of all US candidates have turned down an offer in recent years due to a poor recruiting process is just one symptom. The real damage lies in the fact that the best candidates don’t even wait for the decision.
More interviews do not create certainty
The widespread belief that additional rounds of interviews increase decision certainty is not confirmed by data. After three structured interviews, the knowledge gained about the candidate is over 85 percent, and after four interviews, it is almost 95 percent. Anything beyond that adds little value.
Instead of clarity, this leads to overload. Teams with too many opinions, too many impressions, and too many data points don’t make better decisions, they make slower ones. Meanwhile, candidates have long since decided elsewhere. Speed in recruiting is therefore not the opposite of quality – it is its indicator.
Speed as a sign of quality
Making decisions fast isn’t a sign of being shallow, but of being awesome. If you can make an offer in just a few days, it shows you’re clear on your criteria, have a solid process, and can make decisions. The offer acceptance rate of 81 percent in 2023 clearly shows that candidates are more likely to say yes if they get an offer on time.
Even more important is the psychological signal. A fast, structured process conveys appreciation, professionalism, and agility. In times when most hires come from inbound applications and the candidate experience is crucial to reputation and employer branding, speed acts as a multiplier. Those who are fast not only win talent, but also build an ecosystem of positive feedback and recommendations.
Combining quality and speed with AI
Traditional processes waste valuable time in the wrong places. Manually reviewing CVs or conducting screening calls is inefficient, time-consuming, and increasingly inaccurate. The result: more and more interviews per hire, without any improvement in the quality of decisions.
AI-supported assessments fundamentally change this dynamic by creating valid personality profiles with statements on cultural fit, motivation, and development potential in a very short time. The data is available in seconds and reduces the need for endless discussions. The principle is simple and highly effective: assess smart, decide fast, hire right.
This does not mean that technology replaces human judgment. On the contrary, it frees interviewers from time-consuming screenings and enables deeper, more precise job interviews. Those who go into an interview with a validated profile can ask focused questions and gain more insight in one hour than in three superficial standard interviews.
When speed creates a competitive advantage
A company that uses speed strategically turns recruiting into a competitive advantage. The fashion label Saint Sass is one example: under enormous time pressure, seven key positions were filled within four weeks – twice as fast as the industry average. This was no coincidence, but rather the result of clear criteria, AI-supported pre-selection, and focused interviews.
The result was not only cutting the time-to-hire in half, but also greater precision and an exceptionally positive candidate experience. Speed did not lead to compromises here, but to a structured, fair, and convincing process.
Why old paradigms no longer work
Many companies cling to paradigms that no longer match reality. The principle of “hire slow, fire fast” is a leftover from a time when employers had the upper hand. That time is over.
Overly high expectations of consensus within teams also lead to delays and ultimately to mediocre solutions. The concern that top performers cannot be assessed in just a few interviews is contradicted by the data. And the argument that factors such as mindset, resilience, or the ability to build good working relationships with colleagues and customers are not measurable ignores the possibilities of modern AI-based assessments.
The future belongs to the fast
The best candidate doesn’t wait around. Neither does the competition. Those who are too slow today will soon no longer be able to decide for themselves whether they succeed or fail, but will instead have the market decide for them.
Prof. Dr. Florian Feltes
Prof. Dr. Florian Feltes is co-founder and co-CEO of zortify and a forerunner in AI-supported HR innovation. Together with his team, he develops intelligent personality diagnostics and helps companies identify the perfect candidates—without expensive assessments and without bias. His vision: a world in which every company can effortlessly form high-performance teams and create work environments that allow human potential to flourish.
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