"What happens if we don't fill this role?" This is probably one of the most critical questions to ask before you open a position - Have you ever had a role suddenly close/disappear without anybody being hired? - Have you interviewed and it felt that the roles/responsibilities changed throughout the process? These are the symptoms - the cause is that the question above hasn't been answered Understanding the fallout of a role that remains unfilled can help with: - flexibility around the job spec (what if the perfect candidate doesn't appear? They often dont!) - timing - is there a critical point in a project that this person must be on board by? - investment from the wider team - if they know how an unfilled role could add to/change their workload, it can lead to better buy-in Anything I have missed?!
Tom Fieldhouse a great question that is often overlooked, also useful to assess client expectations and whether that perfect candidate exists from the outset!
Great points here Tom I'd maybe add how team morale can be affected and team dynamic , sometimes if a role is open too long,, it can lead to frustration in the team or burnout where other team members are picking up the extra load