The job market in supply chain and logistics in Canada is hot! Which is great if you’re looking to advance your career in supply chain, but not so good if you’re an employer looking for talent, as it means you are competing against other employers.

One of my biggest suggestions for hiring managers in today’s job market is to speed up the interview process. I’ve worked with employers who have put candidates through 6-8 interviews before finally presenting an offer, by which time the candidate has either found another opportunity or simply lost interest. These delays in the hiring process cost companies millions of dollars every year in terms of revenues and productivity.

Here are five tips on how to speed up the interview process:

1. Write better job descriptions. Make sure you know exactly what you want and need in this new hire before you start interviewing.

2. Use a panel interview to shorten the process, so instead of booking 4-6 separate meetings, you can bring all the hiring managers together at once. Remember to build a few minutes into everyone’s schedule to compare notes immediately after the panel interview.

3. Keep communication open. If you’re working with a recruiter, provide feedback within a few hours of the interview so the recruiter can tweak their search criteria if necessary.

4. Don’t wait for more candidates. If you know exactly what you’re looking for and find someone that is a great match, go ahead and make them an offer! Don’t feel that you need to meet more candidates just for the sake of comparison.

5. Do your testing and reference checks early in the process. Several of our clients do personality and aptitude assessments as the final step in the interview process, which can eliminate candidates just when we are expecting to present an offer. Why not do these early in the process so you’re not wasting time interviewing candidates you can’t hire?

Remember, a slow and careful hiring process does not improve the quality of the hire. Try applying these tips to speed up the interview process, and watch your productivity soar!