Why your hiring pipeline fails. Here's what to do instead

Your property firm's hiring pipeline should be a strategic asset. Instead, it's costing you top talent and time you can't afford to waste. 

Recent CIPD research shows that 37% of UK employers currently have vacancies that remain unfilled for sustained periods, with property and real estate sectors experiencing some of the longest time-to-hire metrics. When your pipeline breaks down, you're not just losing candidates. You're losing competitive advantage whilst your rivals secure the talent you needed. 

The five critical points where hiring pipelines break down 

1. The application black hole 

Talented estate agents, property managers, and surveyors apply to your role, then hear nothing for weeks. Industry research indicates that 54% of candidates have walked away from a job opportunity due to poor communication during the hiring process. 

The fix: Implement automated acknowledgement systems and commit to first-response contact within 48 hours. Property recruitment specialists can provide interim communication protocols that maintain candidate engagement during your internal review processes. 

2. Interview scheduling that takes weeks, not days 

Your senior team is busy. But when candidates wait 2-3 weeks to schedule their first interview, top candidates accept offers elsewhere. The average UK property professional is off the market within days of beginning their job search. 

The solution: Dedicated recruitment coordinators can manage diary coordination and reduce your time-to-interview by 60%. Real estate recruitment strategies must account for speed without sacrificing quality assessment. 

3. Assessment stages that multiply without purpose 

Recruitment data shows the interview stage witnesses the highest candidate drop-off rate, with 25% of candidates opting out at this phase. Yet many property firms default to four or five stages without questioning whether each adds genuine value. 

What works: Audit your process. Does each stage test something new, or are you simply deferring the decision? Consolidate where possible. Use structured scorecards to make earlier, more confident hiring decisions. 

4. Reference checks that stall offers 

You've found your ideal candidate, then the offer sits in limbo for two weeks awaiting references. Meanwhile, they're still interviewing elsewhere. 

The improvement: Conduct reference checks in parallel with final interviews, not afterwards. Professional recruitment partners can expedite this process whilst maintaining thoroughness and compliance. 

5. Onboarding that begins too late 

CIPD analysis reveals that 41% of organisations experience new recruits resigning within the first 12 weeks, meaning you'll need to restart the entire process within months. 

The approach: Begin pre-boarding communications immediately. Share team introductions, relevant property market insights, and clear first-week objectives before their start date. 

When to consider property recruitment solutions 

If your internal team is managing hundreds of applications whilst trying to maintain quality engagement, you're facing a capacity issue, not a capability one. Office for National Statistics data shows the real estate sector has experienced a 28% increase in job vacancies, intensifying competition for qualified professionals. Outsourced recruitment services can manage pipeline velocity whilst your senior team focuses on final-stage assessment and strategic hiring decisions. 

Talent acquisition challenges in property are compounded by sector-specific requirements: regulatory knowledge, local market expertise, and client relationship capabilities that can't be assessed through standard interviews alone. 

Measuring pipeline health 

Track these metrics monthly: 

These indicators reveal exactly where your pipeline is losing momentum and where targeted improvements will deliver the greatest return. 

Is your hiring process costing you the talent you need to grow? deverellsmith specialises in property and real estate recruitment solutions that fix pipeline breakdowns and secure the candidates your business requires. Book a consultation today to discuss your talent acquisition challenges.