Posted: December 17, 2025

In construction and engineering recruitment, speed matters. Not just in securing talent, but in shaping how candidates perceive your organisation. While salary and project type influence decisions, feedback speed is often what determines whether a preferred candidate stays engaged or moves on.

At Sonas Technical, we manage recruitment processes for contractors and engineering firms across Ireland every day. One of the most common frustrations we hear from candidates is not rejection, but delayed or unclear feedback after interviews.

So, how long is too long when it comes to feedback, and what does best practice look like in today’s market?

What Candidates Expect in the Current Market

Expectations have shifted significantly over the past number of years.

For professional construction and engineering roles, most candidates now expect:

  • Initial interview feedback within 48 to 72 hours
  • Clear indication of next steps, even if a final decision has not been made
  • Ongoing communication where internal approvals are required

Candidates understand that decisions take time. What they struggle with is silence.

Why Feedback Speed Has Become So Important

Feedback speed has a direct impact on hiring outcomes.

When feedback is delayed:

  • Strong candidates disengage
  • Competing offers are accepted
  • Employer brand perception suffers
  • Recruiters lose momentum in the process

In contrast, employers who respond quickly are consistently viewed as organised, decisive and respectful of candidates’ time.

Common Causes of Delayed Feedback

From our experience, delays are rarely intentional. They usually stem from:

  • Multiple stakeholders needing to align
  • Interview feedback not being prioritised internally
  • Decision makers being unavailable
  • Unclear ownership of the hiring decision

While these challenges are understandable internally, candidates are not exposed to this context unless it is communicated clearly.

What Best Practice Looks Like

The most effective employers we work with adopt a structured approach to feedback.

This typically includes:

  • Agreeing internal feedback timelines before interviews take place
  • Providing initial feedback within two working days
  • Communicating honestly when decisions are delayed
  • Assigning a clear decision owner for each hire

Even a short update confirming that a decision is pending can make a significant difference to candidate engagement.

The Impact on Your Ability to Secure Top Talent

In a competitive market, candidates often progress through multiple interview processes at the same time. Slow feedback can result in:

  • Losing first-choice candidates to faster moving employers
  • Increased counter-offer risk
  • Reduced offer acceptance rates

Feedback speed is not just a courtesy. It is a commercial advantage.

How Sonas Technical Supports Faster Hiring Decisions

As a specialist recruitment partner, Sonas Technical works closely with clients to:

  • Set clear timelines from the outset
  • Manage candidate expectations professionally
  • Prompt feedback without damaging internal relationships
  • Maintain momentum throughout the process

This approach helps clients secure high calibre candidates while protecting their employer brand.

Final Thought

There is no expectation that hiring decisions are made overnight. However, prolonged silence creates uncertainty and erodes trust.

Clear, timely communication, even when the answer is not yet final, is one of the simplest and most effective ways to improve hiring outcomes in construction and engineering.