When a finance hire drags, it's rarely the interviews that take the time. It's the gaps: CVs waiting a week for feedback, a second interview booked around a holiday, an offer stuck with someone who wasn't in the process. Every gap is a chance for a good candidate to accept something else.
On a two-stage process, targeting shortlist to offer within two weeks is realistic, as long as the sourcing is done before the shortlist and both sides keep decisions moving. Here's what that looks like.
Before the shortlist: agree three things
- Who decides. Name the people who'll interview and the one person who signs off the offer.
- The salary range you'll actually pay. Benchmark it against the local market before you advertise, not after you've found someone.
- Interview slots. Put two sets of dates in diaries now: first stage in week one, final stage in week two.
Week one
- Day 1: shortlist delivered, with notes on motivation, salary expectations, notice period and counter-offer risk.
- Day 2: you confirm who you'd like to meet. Feedback within 24 hours keeps candidates warm.
- Days 3 to 5: first-stage interviews, ideally 45 to 60 minutes, structured around the same questions for every candidate.
Week two
- Day 6: feedback to every candidate, including those who aren't progressing.
- Days 7 to 9: final stage. For a Finance Business Partner or Financial Controller, this is often a short case study or presentation plus a meeting with a non-finance stakeholder.
- Day 10: verbal offer, followed by the written offer within 24 hours.
Where it usually slips
Adding a third stage "just to be sure". If you need a third stage, the first two weren't designed to answer the right questions. Use a scorecard so each stage has a job to do.
Waiting to compare. Holding a strong candidate while you wait for one more CV usually costs you the strong candidate.
Offer sign-off. If the MD or group needs to approve, get approval for the range before interviews start.
Hiring a finance role in the South West? Book a 30-minute call and we'll map your process against this plan.
Read next
Counter-offers in finance hiring: how to plan for them before you make the offer
A counter-offer rarely comes out of nowhere. Most of the warning signs are visible at first interview, if you know what to ask.
Why good finance candidates drop out of your hiring process (and how to fix it)
Candidates rarely tell you why they withdrew. These are the reasons we hear when they tell us.
The real cost of a bad finance hire, and how to work it out for your business
Generic 'cost of a bad hire' percentages aren't much use. Your own numbers are.
The South West Finance Hiring Guide 2026/27
Salary bands for eight finance roles, a two-week shortlist-to-offer plan and counter-offer advice, written by Eliot Acton.