Six weeks from search kick-off to signed offer and the VP Product was out of the country for two of them.
This is the timeline of the search:
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| May 26 | DM from a Head of People. Their VP Product had asked her to contact us about a critical search |
| May 27 | Our team met with her |
| May 28 | They retained us |
| May 28 | Search kick-off with the VP Product, 5pm |
| May 29 | VP Product flew overseas for two weeks |
| May 29 | Our lead recruiter activated the search |
| June 15 | VP Product back |
| June 16 | Candidates presented |
| June 16 to July 2 | The VP interviewed 5 people |
| July 13 | Offer signed |
| August 3 | New Platform PM started |
What the pipeline looked like underneath those dates: 24 candidates worked, 9 presented, 5 interviewed, one hire.
The one detail that explains all of it
The VP Product had a key person resign right before a two-week trip he could not move.
He took the kick-off call at 5 pm the day before he left the country.
While he was away, we executed the search, and when he returned 2 weeks later, we were ready with the first round.
What he did that most hiring managers do not
👉 He recognized the resignation as a business risk, not an HR task. A vacant Platform PM seat is a roadmap that stops moving.
👉 He gave the brief before he left, not after he got back. Kick-off is the only step that cannot happen without the hiring manager.
👉 He met with us the day after he returned to the desk. Not the following week. Not “once I dig out of my inbox.”
👉 He interviewed five people, not fifteen. Five is enough when the brief is right.
👉 He made decisions along the way. Feedback after each candidate, not a batched feedback session after meeting everyone.
He is not less busy than you are. He is a VP Product at a growing B2B SaaS company who lost a key person. He made hiring the priority, and his calendar showed it.
KEY INSIGHTS
Speed is not something an agency provides. It is something a hiring manager permits. We can source, screen and present within two weeks on almost any search. What we cannot do is take the kick-off call for you, or interview on your behalf, or decide.
The kick-off is the 30 minutes that decides the whole process.
Interviewing more people is what companies do when they cannot decide. This VP saw five. He hired one.
Your best candidate is in a process somewhere else. Assume that and move with speed when you meet the person who you believe can do the job.
Hiring? Busy? Stuck in a process with no end in sight? Book a call.