Public Finance Blog

If there is one characteristic that is incredibly important to develop and master during the interviewing process, it is patience.  Nothing happens quickly anymore…whether it’s setting up second interviews (firsts are easy), getting offers, receiving background checks, or even transferring your licenses.

Tick, Tock Goes The Clock

The days of instant gratification in this high-tech world are gone.  To me, this makes no sense.  We are moving ahead with all these technological advances, where now my nemesis (AI) is showing up literally everywhere, and you would think that the process required during the hiring stages would also increase accordingly.  For some reason, it’s now taking more time than ever to get candidates across the finish line.  This is why patience is so critical nowadays.  It’s almost like we have all these technological advantages, but we’re not implementing them in the hiring process.  Why?

Rabbit Vs. Hare….Or Just A Snail?

My gut response is that they are just not trusting the results (which calls for more patience in this process).  It’s almost like GIGO, an accounting term meaning “garbage in, garbage out” (a play on last in, first out), which is how capital gains are treated.  Getting that second interview is a major stumbling block, and coordinating schedules is taking much longer to accomplish with everyone involved in the hiring process having so much to do in back-to-back meetings, etc.  It’s capped off by finally getting HR to produce documents that could be done by pushing a simple button and making a few changes.  

The Waiting Game Is Standard

The answer to all this is: you, the candidate, must heed the words of the Shaolin monk, Kwai Chang Caine in Kung Fu teachings, “Patience, grasshopper.”  We must all develop this as well.  Anyone who is going through hiring or trying to be hired has to have patience.  It’s hard to have when you’re looking for that next opportunity, or you’re the hiring manager wanting to get that rockstar aboard, but it’s mandatory.  Nothing is happening quickly today, nor do I see this changing.  This is the one watchword I share with all my candidates who open themselves to this process.  They have to have the ability to deal with slow-moving pieces.  Here’s the key: if you can bear with this impeded process, you will be rewarded. 

Conclusion

You don’t need a resume to chat with us! If you would like to discuss your options, please reach out for a confidential conversation at 760-477-1284 or email at harlan@hfriedmansearch.com. He can also be reached on LinkedIn. Harlan publishes a blog every Thursday here. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here, which is a compilation of our weekly blogs, so you never miss one. We have also been mentioned in 2025’s Forbes, click HERE to read more.  

About Harlan Friedman, JD & Founding Member, H. Friedman Search LLC. Harlan is a thirty-year veteran Public Finance Banker turned recruiter who specializes in the placement of all levels Public Finance Bankers, Healthcare Bankers, Municipal Advisors, Compliance Officers, Issuers, and Bond Counsels.