Search Wizards

09/04/2026

Our offices will be closed on Monday, September 7th in observance of Labor Day.

We'll be taking the day to rest, recharge, and celebrate the hard work that builds this country, including yours.

Normal hours resume Tuesday, September 8th. See you then!

Happy Labor Day from all of us at Search Wizards.

09/03/2026

A few weeks ago we asked: should candidates be able to give feedback on the hiring process?

100% of you said yes.

That got us thinking. If candidates should be heard, why stop there? The vendors and staffing partners who work with you every day are living your process from the inside out. They see where candidates get excited, where they get frustrated, and too often, where they quietly walk away.

So now we're going deeper: Has a broken hiring or onboarding system ever stopped you from accepting or moving forward with a role?

We're running the poll on LinkedIn, click through to cast your vote and drop a comment if you've got a story to share.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/searchwizards/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true

09/01/2026

We've been talking a lot lately about candidate experience, and in a recent poll, 100% of respondents agreed that candidates should be given the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience.

That got us thinking about another perspective we may be missing.

Many large corporations rely on staffing vendors to support their hiring, with a vendor management team sitting between the company and those staffing partners.

It's an important role with significant influence over how the hiring process actually works day-to-day and, ultimately, how candidates experience it.

Accurate and complete information about the role and its requirements. Response times. Interview feedback. Start dates. Offer changes. Funding questions. Unexpected delays.

All of these things shape a candidate's experience.

And when something doesn't go as planned, it's often the staffing vendor who has to navigate it directly with the candidate, answering questions, managing expectations and trying to maintain a positive experience.

But ultimately, it's the company's employment brand the candidate associates with that experience.
Which raises an interesting question: How much visibility do companies have into this part of their hiring process?

In our 25+ years of partnering with corporate clients, we can't recall ever being asked for feedback on the vendor management experience.

That's notable because staffing partners experience that function every day. Collectively, the vendor pool can provide a unique line of sight into how the program is operating, what's working well, where communication may be breaking down, whether information is reaching partners accurately and consistently, and where friction may be making its way to candidates.

Without that feedback loop, companies may be evaluating candidate experience without visibility into a part of the process that has considerable influence over it.

If 100% of our poll respondents believe candidates should have a voice in evaluating their experience, perhaps there's value in asking the staffing partners helping deliver that experience for theirs, too.

Just some food for thought.

08/25/2026

Last week we launched a poll on our LinkedIn: should candidates get to give feedback on the hiring process?

All the votes came in. Every single one said yes. 100%.

Not a split. Not a debate. A room full of people who've been through it, on both sides of the table, saying the same thing.

Candidates want to be heard. Not because they're looking for another task to fill out, but because they want a process that treats them like people. A process that doesn't go silent for weeks. A process that circles back and says "How did that process feel?"

At Search Wizards, we work with companies and vendors every day. And this is the thing that keeps coming up: most organizations aren't asking.

Companies own the culture. Vendors own the process.

A hiring company sets the tone. But a good vendor builds feedback into the workflow, because they know it's the difference between a candidate feeling ghosted and a candidate feeling respected.

So if you're hiring right now, here's the question that matters:

When was the last time you asked a candidate how the process actually felt, and actually did something with the answer?

If you can't remember, it might be time to take a closer look at who's managing your pipeline.

We help companies build hiring processes that don't lose the human touch. If that sounds like something you need, let's talk.

08/20/2026

This week we've been talking about the importance of human touch in hiring, how automation can streamline parts of the process, but it can't replace real recruiters who actually listen, adapt, and connect with people.

Working with companies and different vendors has brought something to our attention: most organizations put candidates through a lengthy process. Phone screens, assessments, multiple rounds of interviews, sometimes weeks of silence between each step. And when it's over, the candidate walks away with a yes, a no, or radio silence.

But almost no one circles back and asks: How did that actually feel from your side?

Not because companies don't care, but because asking is uncomfortable. It opens the door to criticism. And once you hear the feedback, you're accountable for doing something with it.

Hot take: If you're not asking candidates how the process felt, you're not really listening. And if you're not listening, are you focused on the experience, or just filling the role?

Should candidates be offered the opportunity to give feedback on the hiring process?

Yes. Should be standard
No. Candidates just want closure, not another task

Share in the comments below and visit our LinkedIn to vote in our poll! If you've been through a hiring process recently, on either side, we'd love to hear your perspective.

08/18/2026

Last week, we posted the results of our poll where you told us what matters most: being updated consistently. It's about feeling seen. When someone takes the time to check in, to remember your name, to give you an honest answer, that's the human touch in action.

At Search Wizards, we value people who value people. The human touch isn't a trend; it's the whole point. We don't hire AI. We hire people.

Read more on our blog:

In a world that automates everything, candidates are craving a human touch. Here's why connection still matters in recruiting, and how Search Wizards puts people first.

08/11/2026

Above and Beyond Awards, let's celebrate! 🎉

We're thrilled to shine a light on the people who went above and beyond for our team and our clients.

Congrats to all the nominees:
Salena Botthourath, Prashob ES, Zoe Vaden, Kimberly Haywood, Cindy P., and Michelle Stearns

And here's to everyone who received kudos:
Vadim Shekhtman, Sean J. , Alexis Verduijn, William Harp PMP..., Sharmila Raman, Nupur Gupta, and Sangeetha V Abraham

And the moment you've been waiting for, our winners:
🥇 Michelle Stearns
🥇 Zoe Vaden
🥇 Sangeetha V Abraham

Congratulations to all of you; your dedication doesn't go unnoticed. Keep being awesome!

Visit our LinkedIn profile to see everyone tagged so you can show them some love!

08/04/2026

Hiring hesitation happens for a lot of reasons, and it isn't about the candidate. It's uncertainty about your process, not doubt about the person.

Speed isn't sloppy; it's respectful to your candidates and your team.

A clear process to lean on is what lets you move fast without lowering your standards. Here are four steps to get there.

Run through it, and you'll probably spot a gap or two. No shame, that's where we come in.

https://www.searchwizards.com/2026/08/04/the-4-step-hiring-confidence-checklist-how-to-hire-fast-without-hiring-wrong/

If you're tired of overthinking it? Let's talk.

Recently we’ve discussed why companies hesitate when they have a strong candidate in front of them. Good resume, good interviews, good energy, but something holds them back. They want to see one more person. Sleep on it. Be sure. Meanwhile, that candidate is talking to three other companies. And o...

07/28/2026

We asked. You answered.

Last week we ran a poll: What's the #1 factor holding your team back from hiring?

Budget constraints — 38%
Market uncertainty — 38%
Fear of a bad hire — 25%

Two things tied for the top spot. And the thing that keeps most teams stuck? It's the one you can actually control.

We just published a blog that breaks down what these results mean and how to stop waiting for conditions that may never come.

Read it here: https://www.searchwizards.com/2026/07/28/whats-really-holding-your-hiring-back/

We asked what's really holding teams back from hiring. Budget? Market uncertainty? Fear? The poll results might surprise you, and the fix is simpler than you think.

07/21/2026

In a recent post, we talked about the cost of hesitating, the deals that slip, the momentum you lose, the talent that gets hired somewhere else while you're still deciding.

So why do companies keep doing it?

We talk to hiring teams every day, and here's what we see: most hesitation comes down to one thing: fear of making the wrong call.

Not budget. Not time. Not a lack of candidates.

It's the fear that if you pick someone and they don't work out, you've wasted months and set the team back. So you wait. You look at one more resume. You schedule one more round of interviews. And the person who could've been great? They accept another offer.

The fix isn't more interviews. It's better signals up front, knowing what actually matters for the role, filtering for fit before the first conversation, and having a partner who's done this enough times to know the difference between a good resume and a good hire.

Building a team right now? Let's make sure your next hire is the right one, not just the next one.

Reach out today. https://www.searchwizards.com/contact/