Hiring lead times
by Role 2026
Specialist firm vs DIY: comparison of 13 industry and energy roles
| Role | Volta Executive | In-house DIY | Time saved | Shortage level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Director | Within 3 wks | 16-36 wks (4-9 months) | -88% 13-33 wks | Very high |
| Supply Chain Director | Within 3 wks | 12-28 wks (3-7 months) | -85% 9-25 wks | High |
| Energy Director | Within 3 wks | 16-32 wks (4-8 months) | -88% 13-29 wks | Very high |
| Energy manager | Within 3 wks | 12-24 wks (3-6 months) | -83% 9-21 wks | Very high |
| Hydrogen Engineer | Within 3 wks | 16-36 wks (4-9 months) | -88% 13-33 wks | Extreme |
| Renewables Project Manager | Within 3 wks | 12-24 wks (3-6 months) | -83% 9-21 wks | High |
| Maintenance Manager | Within 3 wks | 16-24 wks (4-6 months) | -85% 13-21 wks | Very high |
| Production Manager | Within 3 wks | 12-20 wks (3-5 months) | -81% 9-17 wks | High |
| Multi-skilled Maintenance Technician | Within 3 wks | 8-16 wks (2-4 months) | -75% 5-13 wks | Extreme |
| Process Engineer | Within 3 wks | 12-20 wks (3-5 months) | -81% 9-17 wks | High |
| Automation Engineer | Within 3 wks | 12-24 wks (3-6 months) | -83% 9-21 wks | Very high |
| QHSE Engineer | Within 3 wks | 10-18 wks (3-5 months) | -79% 7-15 wks | Average |
| Aeronautical Engineer | Within 3 wks | 12-24 wks (3-6 months) | -83% 9-21 wks | High |
| Aerospace Project Manager | Within 3 wks | 14-28 wks (4-7 months) | -86% 11-25 wks | High |
Methodology: Volta Executive: shortlist within 10 days and hire within 3 weeks through direct search, from scoping to the chosen candidate with the offer accepted; the candidate's notice period comes on top. Independent hiring: survey of 80 industrial HR directors (DIY). Sources: APEC Barometer 2025, INSEE, UIMM Metallurgy Observatory 2025.
Factors affecting lead times
Factors that SHORTEN lead times
- Market-aligned salary package (+20-30% gain)
- Flexible location and remote working
- Support from a specialist firm with a closed network
- Client feedback within 48 hours at most
- Attractive employer brand
Factors that LENGTHEN lead times
- Scarce profession (maintenance, hydrogen)
- Package not competitive against the market
- Constrained location (remote site)
- Complex internal validation process (more than 3 steps)
- Over-specific requirements (the five-legged sheep)
Specialist firm methodology (Volta Executive)
Scoping and search ecosystem
1 hour of scoping with the future manager, scorecard of critical skills, mapping of the search ecosystem, go/no-go validation
Direct search
Direct search in a closed network of 500+ profiles, multiposting on 25 platforms, confidential competitive headhunting
Shortlist
Scientific assessment (behaviour, skills, fit), field reference checks, 3 to 5 candidates presented
Decision
Interviews with the direct manager, package negotiation, offer accepted, onboarding preparation, coaching at the start of the role
96 % success rate
On 120 assignments analysed between 2023 and 2025, Volta Executive and previous firms.
The Volta Executive method
What shortens a hire, and what lengthens it
A 1-hour scoping session and a scorecard, a map of the search ecosystem, a shortlist within 10 days, a hire within 3 weeks. The 3 weeks run from scoping to the chosen candidate accepting the offer, when all five key success factors are in place. The candidate's notice period, often three months for an employed manager, comes on top.
- 01Day 1
A 1-hour scoping session and a scorecard
One hour with the future manager, not just HR. We come out with the three results expected at twelve months, the real budget including variable pay, and a scorecard ranking each skill: essential, necessary, useful, bonus.
Deliverable: Scorecard approved by the manager
- 02Days 1 to 3
Map the search ecosystem
The companies, sites and roles where the profile really exists: competitors, suppliers, customers, neighbouring sectors doing the same job under another name. We know how many people fit the scorecard before writing the first message.
Deliverable: A quantified talent map
- 03Within 10 days
A shortlist within 10 days
Three to five candidates approached directly, met, assessed against the scorecard by an engineer, presented with their motivations and real salary expectations. Not a pile of CVs.
Deliverable: 3 to 5 reasoned profiles
- 04Within 3 weeks
A hire within 3 weeks by direct search
Two interview rounds at most, with the direct manager. The package and the counter-offer are prepared before the final interview: the offer goes out within 24 hours and the chosen candidate says yes.
Deliverable: Offer accepted, start date set
What makes a hire succeed, and what makes it fail
Each success factor has an exact opposite. When a hire goes off track, it is almost always enough to find which of the five was let slip.
Key success factors
Failure factors, opposite
Success
An answer within 48 hours at most
The client answers on each candidate presented within 48 hours; the firm gets back to each candidate within 24 hours. The rule is set at scoping, not along the way.
Failures
Slowness
Ten days without news between two interviews: the employed candidate concludes they are not a priority, and accepts elsewhere. The very best profiles stay available for about ten days.
Success
Exclusivity given to a single firm
One firm fully committed to the role, one message to the market, one salary announced. That is the condition for the 3-week timeline.
Failures
Several competing firms
Three or four firms on the same role: three half-efforts, the same candidate called four times with four different salaries, and an employer brand that pays the price.
Success
A 1-hour scoping session and a scorecard
One hour is enough when it is well run: what is at stake, expected results, skills ranked by priority. The scorecard separates the essential from the desirable.
Failures
The five-legged sheep
A job description that piles up everything nice to have describes a candidate who does not exist. The search goes round for months after an unfindable profile.
Success
Talking directly to the future manager
The firm talks to the direct manager from the scoping stage, and the candidate meets them in the first round. They know what the role must deliver in twelve months.
Failures
No dialogue with the direct manager
A brief relayed by a go-between, a mismatch discovered at the third interview, and an assignment back to square one.
Success
A defined search ecosystem
The list of companies and roles where the profile exists, agreed with the client before the first approach. Direct search starts on day three.
Failures
Job ads without search
An ad posted while waiting for applications. For a management role or a skills-shortage job, the people able to do it are employed and do not read ads.
Frequently asked questions
Questions we are asked
Need to hire quickly?
Shortlist within 10 days • Hire within 3 weeks • 96% success rate over 120 assignments analysed between 2023 and 2025, Volta Executive and previous firms