Urgency Is the Enemy of a Good Hire: Why Timing Matters as Much as Talent
"We need to fill this role urgently!" is one of the most common calls we get, accompanied by pleading eyes that scream, “Can you help?”
A valued employee has just resigned, a new strategic priority has created a role that wasn't on anyone's plan, or someone has been promoted and the resulting gap is impossible to ignore.
After 30 years supporting search and recruitment engagements in Calgary and area, we've learned a simple truth: urgency is the enemy of quality. The organizations that get it right the first time and fill roles well are almost always the ones that give the process the time it deserves. A thoughtful search isn't a job posting and a stack of resumes; it's a deliberate process built to find the right person, not just an available one.
Why Bring in External Support
Most organizations are very good at running their business day to day. Few are set up to run a proactive, competitive search on top of it. Searches are almost always in addition to an already sky-high mountain of demands and not often planned for. Internal teams are stretched thin, balancing multiple priorities, or may benefit from added capacity and market reach, particularly when a role is specialized, hard to fill, or time sensitive.
An external Search partner can add three things to an internal process:
A wider and deeper network
An objective read on fit and capability
The bandwidth to run a rigorous process while internal teams continue to support the other recruitment initiatives already underway
The result is a more focused shortlist, shaped by the needs of your organization.
How to Choose a Search Partner
Not all Search firms work the same way, and the right fit matters. Look for a partner who takes the time to understand your organization's culture and trajectory, not just the job description.
Don’t be afraid to ask about their process:
How they source candidates
How they assess for fit and values (not just credentials)
How they keep you informed along the way
How long their typical search process takes
How they communicate with candidates throughout the process, including those who are not successful, so your employer brand is represented with care
What happens if the first round of candidates just doesn’t hit the mark
A good, experienced firm should be able to answer these questions clearly and give you confidence in both the process and the people representing your organization in the market.
Typical Timelines, and Why They Matter
A well-run search typically takes several months from kickoff to start date, and often longer for highly specialized or senior roles. You read that right. That includes time for the Search firm to truly understand the role and where the organization is heading, time to identify and approach candidates (including those not actively looking), time for thorough assessment of skills, experience, working style, and organizational fit through one or two successive interviews, and time for reference checks, offer negotiation, and a thoughtful transition into your organization.
Compressing that timeline may make the search go faster, but it’s just moving the risk further down the road. Rushed searches can lead to mis-hires, and mis-hires cost far more than the weeks saved at the front end (think lost productivity, team disruption, and the cost of doing the whole search over again).
What It’s Like to Work with a Firm
Partnering with a Search firm starts with a discovery conversation, where the firm gets to know the role, the team, and the organization's goals well beyond what's written in a job posting. From there, a search strategy is built, and proactive candidate outreach begins. Reaching people who are not actively applying but may be open to the right opportunity often happens quietly and can be one of the most effective parts of the process.
As candidates are identified and assessed, you should expect regular updates and a genuine partnership in the decision-making, not just a parade of resumes. Interviews are coordinated, feedback is gathered, and the shortlist narrows. Once a preferred candidate emerges, the firm should support reference checks, offer strategy, and negotiation. They should also stay engaged through onboarding, because a successful search isn't over until the new hire is truly set up to succeed.
Search Done Right
A thoughtful search means understanding what the role truly requires, not just today, but longer term. It means reaching people who may not be actively looking, thoroughly assessing candidates beyond their credentials, and doing it in a way that supports both the organization and the candidates moving through the process.
If your organization has a vacancy on the horizon, whether it's six months out or already keeping you up at night, it's worth a conversation now, while there's still time to do it right. At Cenera, our Search & Recruitment team brings three decades of local Calgary and area experience to every search we run, paired with the kind of personalized attention that comes from genuinely knowing our clients and our community. We'd love to talk about what's ahead for your team.
