What Slows Most Hires (And How Small Businesses Can Avoid It)
If you’ve ever felt like hiring takes longer than it should, you’re not imagining it.
Most delayed hires aren’t caused by a lack of candidates. They’re slowed down by a handful of common issues that quietly add weeks — sometimes months — to the process.
For small businesses, where hiring is often just one task among many, these delays can have a real impact on productivity, revenue, and stress levels.
Here are the biggest factors that slow most hires down — and what you can do to avoid them.
1. Too many applicants, not enough quality
Posting a job ad is easy. Managing 80+ applications is not.
Many businesses are overwhelmed by volume, spending hours reviewing CVs that don’t quite fit. This leads to delays, frustration, and good candidates being missed.
How to avoid it:
- Clarify must-haves vs nice-to-haves before advertising
- Screen applications early instead of letting them pile up
- Focus on shortlisting quality, not quantity
2. Screening and follow-up takes longer than expected
One of the most underestimated parts of hiring is time.
Time to read resumes. Time to phone screen. Time to reply to candidates. Time to book interviews.
When hiring sits alongside running the business, this stage often gets pushed back — and candidates move on.
How to avoid it:
- Block dedicated time for screening and follow-up
- Respond quickly to strong applicants
- Have a simple, repeatable screening process
3. Slow shortlisting loses good candidates
The best candidates rarely stay on the market for long.
If it takes weeks to shortlist, organise interviews, or make decisions, top candidates are often gone before offers are made.
How to avoid it:
- Aim to shortlist within the first 7–10 days
- Keep decision-makers aligned on criteria
- Move quickly once you find someone suitable
4. Hiring drops down the priority list
For many small businesses, recruitment isn’t someone’s full-time job.
It competes with customers, operations, finances, and day-to-day fires — which means progress can stall without anyone realising.
How to avoid it:
- Assign clear ownership of the hire
- Use support to keep the process moving
- Set realistic timelines and checkpoints
5. Doing it all yourself slows everything down
DIY hiring can work — but only when you have the time and systems to support it.
Without help, advertising, screening, shortlisting, and candidate management can stretch out far longer than planned.
That’s why many small businesses choose a supported approach.
At Recruit Shop, we handle the advertising, screening, and shortlisting for a flat $2,995 + GST per hire — with no percentage fees. If you don’t hire within 28 days, there’s a $1,000 money-back promise.
Our goal is simple: help you get to interview stage faster, without the usual delays.
Thinking about hiring this year?
If hiring is on your radar and you want to avoid common delays, having the right support can make all the difference.
👉 Learn more about how Recruit Shop works and how we help small businesses hire faster.
