When Hiring Takes Longer Than Building a Bridge
The other day, I was watching a documentary about the construction of the Millau Bridge in France. Absolutely magnificent piece of engineering, that one.
From initial design to opening day, the entire project took seven years. Seven years to design, engineer, and construct what is essentially a 2.5-kilometre concrete and steel marvel suspended 270 metres above a valley.
And here's the thing that struck me: I know companies that take longer to hire a single engineer than it took the French to build that entire bridge.
Now, I'm not suggesting your recruitment process involves moving mountains or dealing with French bureaucracy (though sometimes it might feel like it). But if your slow hiring process in engineering takes longer than launching a new product, something has gone spectacularly wrong.
The uncomfortable truth is that many businesses have created hiring processes so convoluted, so laden with approvals and delays, that they've become more complex than the engineering projects their candidates will actually work on.
The Anatomy of a Glacial Hiring Process
Let's be brutally honest about what's happening in most engineering recruitment processes. It's not pretty, but it's painfully familiar.
First, there's the job specification phase. What should take a day somehow stretches into weeks as various stakeholders debate whether the role requires five years of experience or six, whether knowledge of AutoCAD is essential or merely preferred.
Then comes the approval circus. The hiring manager wants to proceed, but HR needs sign-off from finance, who need approval from the department head, who's waiting for the green light from the board.
Meanwhile, your ideal candidate - the one with the perfect blend of technical expertise and practical experience - is fielding offers from three other companies who managed to make decisions in the time it took you to schedule your first meeting.
The Hidden Costs of Interview Lag
Here's what most companies don't realise: every day you delay is costing you more than just time. It's costing you the best candidates.
Top engineering talent doesn't sit around waiting for your decision-making bottlenecks to clear. They're in demand, they know their worth, and they're not particularly interested in joining organisations that can't make basic hiring decisions efficiently.
While you're scheduling the fourth round of interviews (because apparently three wasn't enough to determine if someone can design a circuit board), your competitors are making offers and securing talent.
The irony is delicious, really. You're looking for engineers who can solve complex problems quickly and efficiently, yet your hiring process demonstrates the exact opposite qualities.
What Slow Hiring Really Tells Candidates
When your hiring process drags on for months, you're sending a very clear message to potential employees. And it's not the message you think you're sending.
You might believe you're being thorough, demonstrating due diligence, showing that you take hiring seriously. What candidates actually hear is: "This company can't make decisions efficiently."
If you can't decide whether to hire someone in a reasonable timeframe, how can they trust you to make timely decisions about project budgets, resource allocation, or strategic direction?
Engineers, in particular, value efficiency and logical processes. When they encounter a recruitment process that lacks both, they start questioning whether this is really the kind of organisation they want to work for.
The Ripple Effect of Recruitment Inefficiency
The problems don't end when you finally make a hire (if you manage to make one at all). The delays and inefficiency create a cascade of issues that affect your entire operation.
Projects get delayed because you don't have the right people in place. Existing team members become overworked trying to cover the gaps, leading to burnout and potentially more departures.
Your reputation in the engineering community suffers. Word spreads quickly in technical circles about companies with painful hiring processes, making it even harder to attract quality candidates in the future.
And here's the kicker: all this inefficiency costs money. Lots of it. The longer positions remain unfilled, the more revenue you lose, the more overtime you pay existing staff, and the more opportunities slip through your fingers.
Breaking Free from Hiring Paralysis
The solution isn't to rush through hiring decisions or lower your standards. It's about creating a process that's both thorough and efficient - something that seems to be a lost art in many organisations.
This is where partnering with specialists who understand both the technical requirements of engineering roles and the urgency of modern business makes all the difference.
Coburg Banks' Engineering Recruitment division has mastered the art of moving quickly without compromising on quality. We understand that engineering projects have deadlines, and so should engineering recruitment.
Our approach eliminates the bottlenecks and decision-making delays that plague internal hiring processes. We pre-screen candidates thoroughly, present only those who meet your specific technical requirements, and facilitate rapid decision-making.
We've worked across manufacturing, construction, aerospace, and countless other technical sectors. We know what good engineering talent looks like, and more importantly, we know how to secure it before your competitors do.
What Efficient Engineering Recruitment Looks Like
Imagine a world where your hiring process moves at the same pace as your product development. Where decisions are made based on clear criteria rather than endless committee discussions.
Picture having access to a pipeline of pre-qualified engineering candidates who are ready to contribute from day one. No more months-long searches, no more losing top talent to faster-moving competitors.
With the right recruitment partner, your engineering team grows strategically and efficiently. Projects stay on schedule because you have the right people in place when you need them.
Your existing team remains motivated because they're not constantly covering for unfilled positions. Your company's reputation as an employer of choice grows because candidates experience a professional, efficient hiring process.
Time to Fix Your Hiring Process
If your current hiring process takes longer than your product launches, it's time for a change. The engineering talent market won't wait for you to sort out your internal inefficiencies.
Don't let another quarter pass with unfilled positions holding back your projects and frustrating your team.
Learn more about how Coburg Banks can streamline your engineering recruitment, or book a call to discuss your specific hiring challenges.
Because frankly, if the French can build a bridge in seven years, you should be able to hire an engineer in seven weeks.
