Why hiring drags in EdTech and how to stop losing weeks

EdTech teams love to talk about speed. Speed of adoption. Speed of onboarding. Speed of closing deals. There is one place where speed usually disappears and that is hiring.

Everyone blames the market or the talent, but most delays come from the way companies run the process.

The first problem sits between hiring managers and in house recruiters. Hiring managers in EdTech, especially sales leaders, know exactly what good looks like. They live close to the targets, they know the buyer, they feel the pressure. When they ask for a new person they tend to be specific because the wrong hire means missed revenue.

The challenge is that their in house recruiter often does not have the same context. They get a quick briefing and then go looking for generalist CVs from LinkedIn, Indeed or a wide talent pool. It leads to a mismatch. The recruiter sends generic profiles. The hiring manager rejects them. The hiring manager eventually takes over. Suddenly the person who should be managing the team or closing deals is spending hours screening candidates.

Most leaders underestimate the cost of this. Hiring one person usually takes around 40 hours of interviews, screening and internal discussion. That is a week of work stretched across a month. It creates pressure, slows momentum and pulls leaders away from their real jobs.

There are more blockers that quietly slow everything down.

Vague job ads
A job ad full of jargon and generic SaaS language will attract people who know nothing about the education buyer. That leads to more screening, more interviewing and more dropouts.

Fluffy job descriptions
A long list of responsibilities and a shopping list of skills hides the three things that matter. What this person needs to achieve, what they need to know about the sector and what success looks like in the first three to six months.

Wrong people invited to interview
Teams often invite anyone who looks remotely close. It fills calendars but empties pipelines because strong candidates lose interest when the process drags.

Slow interview cycles
Too many steps and too many people slow decisions. Great candidates slip away while internal teams try to find an hour that suits five calendars.

Unclear salary ranges
Silence on pay creates back and forth, delays and late stage surprises. Nothing kills speed like a number no one expected.

Weak communication
Candidates drop out when they hear nothing for days. Even a short weekly update keeps them warm.

Where teams can speed up
Better briefings
Hiring moves faster when hiring managers give recruiters clear outcomes, must have sector knowledge and the real blockers the new hire will face. If the recruiter understands the role, they stop sending generic CVs.

Specific job ads
Be clear about education knowledge, customer type and real world experience. This filters out noise early.

Early sector screening
Add three simple education focused questions in the first filter. It removes guessers quickly.

Lean interview structure
Four steps work best. Culture chat. Skills conversation. Simple task. Decision.

Clear salary from the start
Share the range in the first proper call. It saves days of negotiation later.

Weekly communication
Keep candidates updated so they stay engaged.

Borrow networks
Most education people do not live on job boards. They live in communities. Use people who already know where the talent is.

Work with a specialist
Someone who already understands the sector will send better profiles, faster, and save the hiring manager from doing the job themselves.

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FAQs

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Why does EdTech hiring feel slow
Because most teams start from scratch every time. They post a vague job, screen generic CVs and hope for the best.

How long should it take to hire
With a warm pipeline and a clear process, three to six weeks. Starting cold takes eight to twelve.

How do you keep candidates warm
Send weekly updates, even if the update is that there is no update.

Should you hire from outside the sector
Sometimes. Pair them with someone who understands the education buyer. Do not rely on a full team of outsiders.

When should salary be discussed
As early as possible. It removes surprises.

Why use a specialist recruiter
They save weeks because they already have relevant candidates and they understand the education buyer.

Book a free consultation to help you find your next employee.