I love to read. But the problem is, I never get enough time to read — or I should say I never get enough uninterrupted time to read.

My reading pattern goes something like this. I'll start a book on a weekend or some time when I have what I consider a healthy block of time — say an hour or two. Then, most weeknights by the time I get home and make dinner and clean up, it's pretty late and I'm bushed. I pick up my book to read for a few minutes before going to bed.

The next day's routine is the same, except when I pick up the book, I forget what I read the night before! I have to re-read at least a few paragraphs, if not a whole chapter! Why, sometimes I even forget who the characters are for the first few minutes! I call this "Readus Interruptus" and it's very, very frustrating.

A book is more satisfying when it is read in a manner that lets the story unfold at a steady pace. When you do "stop and start" reading like I do, the story just doesn't resonate the same way as when you read at a steady pace. The books I've enjoyed the most have been those where I have lots of time to sit and enjoy reading the story. In other words, there is a certain momentum when you are reading a story that gets lost if you read it in small chunks of time.

Momentum in Hiring

The same thing happens to hiring managers as they go through the interview process. Because they do not have long blocks of time to interview potential employees, they lose the benefits of continuity in the process.

Many times I find myself in conversations with managers discussing interviews with candidates that happened weeks ago. I have even found myself having to remind the manager what the candidate physically looked like to jog their memory!

Admit it. It's happened to you too! Hiring managers in most companies have so much to do that interviewing candidates is squeezed in and around other daily tasks. What is so frustrating and potentially damaging with this scenario is that, like short periods of reading with long periods of forgetting what the story line is, you lose the momentum in your hiring.

A Simple Remedy — The "One Day" Solution

I stumbled upon this solution, I must admit. I noticed when we hired for a "remote" position, hiring managers seemed to have less problems identifying final candidates and making a hire. And that's because, for the most part, they are doing all of their interviewing in one day. They are assessing candidates when these candidates are fresh in their minds!

When we set up "remote" interviews, we line up four or five candidates for the manager to interview. This usually happens either in one day or in an afternoon followed by the next morning. We leave at least 30 minutes between interviews for the manager to write down his impressions and thoughts after the interview. During this time, interviewing is the only thing the manager is doing. (Okay, they may squeeze a few calls in here or there. But we pretty much have their undivided attention.) From the four to five candidates, we will have 2 to 3 finalists identified within hours after the first interviews. (See last month's "Basic Hiring Recipe" for the exact formula.)

You Can Try This "At Home" Too!

Here's a suggestion. Why not take this same formula and apply it even when you are interviewing at your home office. Here's what you do:

• Using your calendar, determine when you want your new hire to start.
• Approximately 6 weeks before that date, block off a day of your time for interviews (remember, candidates may have to give notice to current employers, maybe take personal time, etc.).
• Inform your HR department and your recruiter, or whomever is supporting you in this process, so they can line up candidates for you to see on the specified day.
• While it's ideal to interview at your company, if you have to rent an offsite location in order to have this dedicated, uninterrupted time, do it. You can bring your finalists to your company for the second interview.
• Leave enough time in-between interviews for making notes and "debriefing."
• Decide at the end of the day who you will bring back for a second interview.
• With your "start date" deadline in mind, proceed with your second and third interviews and making your offer.

Kick Interviewing Up on the "To Do" List

Because hiring good people is critical to the success of your business, give the interview and hiring process more importance on your "To Do" list. Clear the decks for a chunk of time and make it easy on yourself. Just like a one-day "strategic" meeting, have a one-day "strategic" hiring session.

Let's face it, the hiring process should not take as much time as reading James Joyce's "Ulysses" (although I've heard some companies come pretty damn close!). The hiring process should be like reading a good novel — well written, succinct, good characters and a good ending!