How long does it take to hire someone?
Does it depend on what type of job you are hiring for? Does it depend on how picky you are? Does it depend on your hiring procedures? And are you the manager active in this process or do you have others to facilitate? Many managers have other staff members handle the hiring process. The manager handles the second interview, but not the first. This makes it easier. I do not have people to help with the hiring process, so I have my hands tied as it takes a long time to coordinate with everyone.
If you put an add in Craigslist or the paper, you might be inundated with calls and emails. If you are busy working, or you are behind on your work, how do you make time for all these emails and calls? How do you make time to interview possibly twenty or more people? It is very time consuming. If you are thorough, it could take 100 hours just to hire one person. And what if after all that time invested they just quit and leave you high and dry?
On the other hand, if your staff handles the emails, calls, and coordinating interviews, and you just lay back until the second interview process, you might only have to invest about five hours doing five 2nd interviews. That sounds a lot more manageable.
Personally, I would rather have staff that sticks around. I don’t like going through hiring, firing, rehiring, quitting, hiring, etc. And also, I like to test people out before I hire them. See if they are any good, and see if they are loyal before giving them any real responsibility. Cautiousness has its price, but so does going too fast!