For many skilled and salaried roles: 3–8 weeks from brief to signed contract if you decide as you go. Managers and niche profiles take longer. If you are consistently over 12 weeks, the problem is typically an unclear brief, slow feedback or an ad the right people cannot find.
Process
The recruitment process step by step — and what a bad hire costs
A concrete recruitment process for Danish companies: brief, posting, screening, interview, offer and onboarding. Plus why a bad hire is more expensive than most people think.
Step-by-step guide
- 1
Write the brief before you post the role
One page is enough: purpose of the role, 4–6 must-haves, location and hours, pay range, who decides, and when the role must be filled. Without a brief, three colleagues write three different ads in their heads, and you disagree in the last interview. The brief is also what you give AI when the job ad is written. Approve the pay range now — not after the best candidate has said yes to someone else.
- 2
Find candidates where they already are
Publish a searchable ad (free on Arbejd.com), and at the same time search the candidate pool by occupation, distance and experience. One paid board listing with no follow-up is not a process. Use network and internal candidates deliberately — and still write the ad, so you do not only hire copies of yourselves. Keep the ad open until you have a signature, or you lose the late, strong profiles.
- 3
Screen on evidence, not on inbox gut feel
Make a checklist from the must-haves and run every application and profile through it. A “maybe” pile of 40 is a sign the requirements are not sharp. Reply to rejections within a week. Invite to a first interview only people you will actually spend 45 minutes on. On Arbejd.com you can message matching candidates directly — you do not have to wait for them to see the ad.
- 4
Decide with a scorecard, and move quickly
After the interviews you compare scorecards, take references on the one or two you want to offer, and decide. Every week the process drags, the risk rises that the candidate takes another offer. A “we’ll just think about it for three weeks” culture is one of the most expensive habits you can have. See the interview guide for questions and what you must not ask.
- 5
Make a clear offer, and follow up with a contract
The offer should include title, start date, pay, hours and any extras. A verbal yes is good; writing is better. Send the employment terms within the statutory deadlines (see the employment-contract guide). Do not negotiate bonus for three weeks while the candidate is still in play elsewhere. A fair, complete offer beats “we’ll figure out the rest later”.
- 6
Onboarding is the last step of recruitment — not HR’s problem afterwards
Bad hires often happen in months 1–3 because there was no equipment, no buddy and no goals for probation. Book the first week before the person starts: access, intro, the nearest colleague, and a 30/60/90 plan. That is cheaper than starting over. Use probation actively (see the probation guide). Only when the person delivers in the agreed frame is recruitment finished.
Ready to get started?
Create your company on Arbejd.com and start using Process straight away.
Frequently asked questions
There is no single official figure, but when you add salary, training, the manager’s time, lost pace and a new search, it often lands at several months of pay — and more for specialised or customer-facing roles. That is why 14 extra days to check references is almost always cheaper than “take the one who can start on Monday”.
Yes, unless you are certain and have an objective reason not to. A posting documents that you chose openly, and you may discover a stronger profile. Internal hiring with no process creates rumours and a hole in the team the person leaves.
When the role is hard, the deadline is tight, and you cannot search yourselves. Agencies typically charge a percentage of annual salary. First try a clear ad and active candidate search on Arbejd.com. An agency will not save an unclear brief.
You have a first signal after 30 days (can they do the basics?) and a real one after 90 days (do they deliver in operations?). That is why probation for salaried employees is up to 3 months. Without goals in that period it just “feels” right — and you discover the mistake after notice has become longer.