A
growing number of professionals are reporting a similar experience:
• Multiple interview rounds
• Executive panels
• Strategic presentations
• Weeks of silence
• Or a generic rejection email after significant engagement
At the finalist level, this is no longer an isolated occurrence. It is becoming
a pattern.
The question is not whether hiring is competitive: it is.
The question is what hiring behavior reveals about organizational leadership.
What’s Driving This?
1. Overengineered Hiring Processes
Search committees, layered approvals, compliance reviews, executive sign-offs.
When too many stakeholders are involved, communication ownership becomes
unclear.
2. Risk Aversion & Decision Paralysis
Budget uncertainty, shifting priorities, internal candidate considerations.
Silence often reflects internal hesitation more than intentional disregard.
3. Automation Culture
Applicant Tracking Systems streamline workflow, but they also standardize
rejection messaging. At advanced stages, templated responses can
unintentionally diminish professional engagement.
4. Volume of Qualified Talent
Deep candidate pools for leadership roles create bandwidth challenges. However,
volume should not eliminate professional closure.
Why It Matters
For advanced-stage candidates, the hiring process often includes:
• Meaningful preparation
• Strategic thinking
• Intellectual contribution
• Reputational exposure
When communication disappears late in the process, it signals something about:
• Internal coordination
• Decision-making clarity
• Communication norms
• Leadership culture
Hiring is not merely operational. It is a visible expression of organizational
values.
A Leadership Opportunity
Organizations committed to strong talent pipelines might consider:
• Assigning a clear communication owner per search
• Establishing decision-to-notification timelines
• Providing brief but respectful closure for finalists
• Viewing candidate experience as a leadership KPI
Professionalism in hiring is not about optics. It is about consistency between
stated values and lived practice.
In competitive markets, strong candidates evaluate organizations as much as
organizations evaluate candidates.
The hiring process is often the first true test of culture.
What do you believe is the appropriate standard of communication for finalist
candidates in today’s hiring environment?
Things to think about!
Dr Flavius A B Akerele III
The ETeam
