Answer: As we follow the hiring process through the year, here is another blog post about activities during the final phases of the primary annual hiring cycle during the months of May and June—along with a list of events that affect scheduling of hiring activities.

CALENDAR – May & June.
EVENTS – Memorial Day Weekend at the end of May, the informal start of summer and vacations and High School and College graduations.

We are reaching the final stage of the interviewing process. Hopefully there are three finalists that are under serious consideration. In some cases, one of the three meets the most senior officer; in other cases, two are selected. Rarely will all three be interviewed. Before the final interview(s) references are checked, compensation is verified and a conversation about a potential offer begins. This will enable the final negotiations to move along quickly. It is now mid-May and the interviews have been completed.

A finalist is selected and a draft offer is created as the basis for discussion. After several days of back and forth negotiation, an offer is extended verbally and once confirmed, put in writing with an estimated start date. There is some pressure to have the offer letter signed before the Memorial Day weekend.

The official start date is roughly 4-weeks from the time the offer is accepted. That would put the date at the very end of June or the week after the 4th of July holiday. There may be some delay due to the need for a verification of employment and salary.

It has taken from January through June to complete a search with no major setbacks. Using this framework, it is easy to factor in a variety of issues that can occur which will further extend the timetable for a hire.

Please note that there will be no post next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Look for part 7 of 9 in this series on Thursday, November 30th.