You need to move fast when you’re a hiring manager looking to fill a temporary position because candidates often end up with multiple offers. Even when the job market is soft, you can’t afford to drag out the process for multiple days or even weeks because you will lose top candidates. Here are four ways you can speed up the hiring process.

Review resumes quickly

Depending on the positions, recruiters can have the resumes of at least one or two strong candidates to you within hours. You should plan on reviewing them within hours, too, or at least by the close of that business day. Focus on whether they have the core skills required to be successful in the job. If so, get that interview scheduled. This can be challenging, particularly if you’re hiring for a temp-to-permanent position. We all know you want to get someone who will mesh perfectly with your team, but if you wait too long, you’re going to miss out on candidates who can get you through the project at hand.

Provide feedback fast

Another key to making a smart hire comes down to feedback. If your recruiter put several resumes in front of you, and you like some but not others, then let us know why. Honest feedback is part of the process, and it helps us to move in the right direction for you. This also allows us to quickly go back out and identify candidates who are better possible fits, or we can more specifically advise you on who’s available in the market right now.

Schedule an interview soon

If you’re going to interview candidates, do so as quickly as possible. That means within a day or two; don’t schedule them for a week or two out. And, if you can’t physically meet a candidate within 24 to 48 hours, do a phone or video interview. Also, make the interview process as efficient as possible. Line up all managers who want to be part of the interview and schedule either a conference call or a team interview.

Keep up the pace with a quick offer

Don’t hesitate to make an offer. You might think you can wait for the ideal candidate or it’s OK to reevaluate whether the job at hand is really a temp position or perhaps a permanent one. But, you don’t often have that luxury with sought-after talent. Once you’ve finished interviews, you’ve got to contact your top candidate with an offer before someone else does. Remember to set a quick start date, too. Candidates don’t want to be out of work waiting to start a new position, and they’ll bypass your offer if another company can bring them on board right away.

In order to secure the talent you want, you must have a real sense of urgency and keep the process moving. This process should take just a couple of days. You could start on a Monday and have someone working for you by Thursday morning.

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