Is There Such a Thing as Moving Too Fast in the HIring Process?

Thanks to a highly competitive job market, the hiring process may take three weeks or more to complete. In 2014, the average time to hire was 3.5 days slower than in 2009, during the height of the economic recession. Did your recent hiring process take surprisingly less time? If you think your job interview went a little bit too well, read on to find out what to do about it.

Ask Questions

One key to alleviating your fears about a hiring process moving too quickly is to ask questions of the hiring manager. You can be honest without being blunt or rude, because it's your right to know why an employer found your skill set so interesting.

1. What is the history of this position?

When you ask this question, you find out whether you're the first person to hold this job or if several people had this position ahead of you. What happened to your predecessors could be confidential information, but there's no harm in asking.

2. What's the company culture here?

The answer to this query gives you an idea if the company is relaxed or high-stress, requires lots of overtime, or is super flexible.

3. Why is my background important to you?

A hiring manager or human resources representative can let you know precisely why your hiring process happened so fast. When the hiring process can sometimes take months to complete, why did yours seem to wrap up too quickly? Perhaps the position was open for several months and the company needed a strategic hire before a particular deadline — or maybe someone simply thought you were the perfect fit.

Keep in mind that some companies may want to hire the best talent more quickly, so you should ask about your own qualifications and what the hiring manager saw in your talents. No matter what reason someone gives for the fast hiring process, you have some options that can help facilitate your nervousness about a new position.

Create Solutions

Perhaps, even after getting answers to your questions, you're still anxious about how quickly the company moved to hire you. Maybe you feel the company is too new and has yet to bring in any revenue. Maybe your predecessors know something that you don't.

Rather than signing on as an employee, you might feel more comfortable as an independent contractor or a consultant. This type of arrangement leaves your options open to seek employment elsewhere while earning money from the company that wants to hire you. Plus you can get to know the employer a bit before agreeing to something more permanent. The interview and the consulting gig both offer perfect opportunities to get to know people at the company. Talk to other employees, and observe the working environment for a bit before accepting an offer for employment.

A fast hiring process isn't necessarily a bad thing. That's where asking questions and getting to know your coworkers can come into play. If you're still nervous after doing your own homework, it might be a sign there are bigger and better opportunities elsewhere.

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