BLOG ARTICLE
How Founders Accidentally Slow Down Their Own Hiring
Let’s be honest – founders can be the worst bottleneck in hiring.
Not on purpose.
Not because they don’t care.
But because they care so much that they get in the way.
And I get it. Hiring is one of the most high-stakes decisions a founder makes. Every new person changes the shape of the company. One wrong hire in a small team can break momentum, culture, or both.
But there’s a big difference between being involved in hiring – and being a blocker.
Here’s where founders often slow things down (without realising), and what to do instead.
1. Needing to meet every candidate (even when they don’t need to)
This one’s common in companies up to 50-60 people. Founders want to “sign off” on each hire – especially in product, engineering, or early commercial roles.
But by the time someone’s been through 2–3 interviews and a practical task, adding a final 30-minute “vibe check” with the founder just slows things down.
The problem:
- Scheduling delays
- Candidates lose momentum
- Decision-making becomes fuzzy
What to do instead:
- Set clear scorecard criteria in advance
- Trust your hiring manager (or don’t let them hire yet)
- If you must meet candidates, do it early – not after everyone else
2. Not aligning on the role before HIRING STARTS
A founder says, “We need a Head of Marketing.”
But what they actually want is someone who can write content, run paid ads, manage PR, own brand, and generate leads.
That’s not a Head of Marketing. That’s a unicorn.
And the recruiter spends 4 weeks sourcing for a role that doesn’t exist.
The fix:
- Align on the outcomes you need, not just the title
- Map what success looks like in the first 6 months
- Agree what’s must-have vs nice-to-have
Get that clarity up front, and the whole process runs smoother.
3. Giving vague or delayed feedback
Founders are busy. Fair enough. But when you keep a candidate waiting for feedback – or give unclear input like “not sure they’d thrive here” – it kills momentum.
It also puts your recruiter in a tough spot. They either chase, guess, or let great candidates go cold.
Better:
- Be decisive. If it’s a no, say so. If it’s a yes, move.
- Block 10 minutes in your diary after interviews for feedback
- Use a shared scorecard
4. Not prioritising hiring in the calendar
Hiring doesn’t work when it’s squeezed into the margins.
If you want to scale a team, treat hiring like product delivery. It needs planning, inputs, and accountability.
What helps:
- Set SLAs (e.g. feedback within 24 hours)
- Pre-book interview slots in your diary
- Make hiring updates part of your leadership rhythm
You wouldn’t ship code without a plan. Don’t hire without one.
5. Forgetting that the candidate is also evaluating YOU
The founder interview is often the most memorable moment in a candidate’s process – especially in early-stage startups.
If you turn up late, distracted, or vague about the vision, they notice.
And if you delay or disappear entirely, they definitely notice.
You don’t need to give a TED Talk about your company – but you do need to show up.
Final thought
Founders don’t mean to slow things down.
But without the right structure, they often do – and it costs them great people.
If you want to speed up hiring, reduce dropouts, and stop playing calendar Tetris just to get to a decision, you don’t need to step back.
You need to show up differently.
That’s what we help with at RecruitMend – aligning teams, building hiring systems that actually scale, and making sure founders stay involved without becoming the bottleneck.
Need help improving your hiring journey?
Let’s talk about how we can reduce your time to hire and increase your offer acceptance rates – while delivering a candidate experience that sets you apart.
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