23
10
2026
By Eve Painter
How to be better at interviewing than 99% of companies
Back to BlogsThe bar for how companies treat people in interviews is low. Around 60% of candidates never hear back after an interview at all. Surveys reckon people now find that silence more frustrating than being ghosted after a first date.
That's oddly good news if you're hiring. When the bar is this low, you don't have to do much to stand out. Do these two things and you're ahead of 99% of companies.
Go from CV to offer in two weeks
Most hiring drags on for months. Four rounds, week-long gaps between them, and a take-home test that eats hours of someone's evening.
It's easy to forget what that feels like from the other side. A lot of these people are out of work, watching the bills come in, waiting to find out whether the thing that might fix that is even happening. Dragging it out does real damage. Over half of candidates say the wait after an interview is the most stressful part of looking for a job.
So there's no real excuse to be slow. Two weeks from CV to offer is enough time to make a proper decision, and moving that fast means you land good people before the slower companies get near them.
Give feedback after every interview
Around 60% of candidates never hear anything back after an interview. That's especially galling when someone's just spent four hours on your take-home test.
Feedback isn't hard to give, and it doesn't have to be a phone call. One of our consultants started sending unsuccessful candidates a short, honest email setting out why they didn't get it. Almost every one of them replied to say thank you. People remember being treated like a human, even when the answer is no.
That goodwill comes back. The person you turned down kindly this year might be the one you want next year, or the one who tells other good people you were decent to deal with.
It seems ridiculous that two things this obvious would put you ahead of nearly everyone else hiring. But it really is that simple.
If your process takes longer than two weeks and you’re not sure where to cut it, get in touch: hello@avantirec.com or +44 (0)118 402 4664
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