Hire Differently
Roles stay open longer than they should.
The right candidates don't show up.
Most companies assume it's a market problem. It usually isn't.
What we watch happen
A strong candidate enters a search. They're employed, performing well, not urgently looking. But they're open to the right conversation.
The first call goes well. There's genuine interest on both sides. Then the company takes ten days to schedule the next step. Then there's an internal alignment issue. Then a decision-maker is traveling. Then the process stalls for two weeks while nothing visible is wrong.
By the time the company is ready to move, the candidate has taken another call. Decided to stay put. Or accepted somewhere else.
Not because they weren't interested. Because the window closed.
The window is shorter than most companies think
Passive candidates, the ones who are employed, performing, and only selectively open, don't stay open long. Their willingness to engage peaks early and fades fast.
In the exhibit and event industry, this is compressed further. A project manager who was genuinely curious about a new opportunity in January may be locked into a major build by March. A sales leader who was ready to have a conversation before Q1 closes is not having it after.
The calendar narrows the window. A slow process misses it entirely.
What a slow process actually costs
Companies calculate the cost of a bad hire. Few calculate the cost of a slow one.
The role stays open another quarter. The team absorbs the load. Existing clients feel it. Revenue that a strong salesperson would have generated doesn't materialize. A project that needed a senior PM gets managed by someone stretched too thin.
That cost is real. It just doesn't show up on a single line item.
How the companies that hire well move
They treat a strong candidate the way they'd treat a strong prospect. With urgency. With preparation. With a clear sense of what they're offering and why it's worth someone's attention.
They don't have three rounds of interviews to reach a decision that could have been made in one. They don't leave candidates waiting without communication. They don't lose a week to internal scheduling.
When they find the right person, they move. Because they know that person won't be available indefinitely.
The point
The talent market in this industry is not as thin as it feels from inside a slow process.
Strong candidates exist. They're just not waiting around.
The companies finding them aren't working harder. They're moving faster.
Cal Cook
EXHIBITRECRUITER | EVENTRECRUITER
