Why Your Hiring Process Keeps Failing (It Starts With a Bad Intake)
That vague "we need a senior person" conversation? It's costing you weeks. Here's how to fix the intake—before you post a single job.
You've been there. The hiring manager says they need "someone senior." You post the role. Two weeks later, they're rejecting everyone—"too technical" or "not technical enough"—and you realize you never actually aligned on what "senior" meant.
Bad intake meetings have downstream effects. Gartner found that when hiring managers aren't aligned on requirements, orgs are 41% more likely to change the req mid-search—and time-to-fill jumps 38%. CareerBuilder says 84% of employers report roles staying open up to two weeks longer when intake meetings are skipped or rushed.
The fix isn't more meetings. It's better structure. Before you sit down, send a brief. Ask: What's the business driver? What are the must-haves vs. nice-to-haves? What does success look like in 90 days? Get compensation and level band agreed up front—20% of employers say unrealistic comp expectations are a top challenge.
In the meeting, nail the decision process. Who's in the loop? What's the timeline? What happens if the first batch doesn't work? Document it. Turn the conversation into a one-pager—role criteria, competencies, success metrics—that you can share with candidates and calibrate against.
A good intake turns a vague ask into a sourcing brief. Do that first, and the rest of the funnel gets a lot easier.