The Risks Of Hiring Too Quickly

When teams hire under pressure, compromises often follow. You might bring in someone who meets some of the criteria but lacks hands-on experience with your specific stack. Cultural alignment is another frequent casualty of rushed hiring. Developers who struggle to collaborate, communicate or adapt to agile processes can impact overall productivity.

The same pattern shows up during onboarding. The more rushed a team's hiring process is, the more likely they are to shortcut the very process that determines how quickly new people can contribute. Without clarity around product context, workflows or team culture, even strong hires can take weeks or months to reach meaningful output. And in my experience, rushed hires tend to have higher turnover, forcing teams to restart the hiring cycle sooner than planned.

‍

Despite the risks, we see companies every day rush their hiring decisions. The pressure to deliver never stops, and adding people often feels like the quickest way to scale. This is the case with many of our current clients: They needed talent fast and hired them right away, only to discover months later that the profiles weren’t exactly what would benefit their teams. By then, it was costly to back down after the onboarding.

This article explores three approaches companies use today to balance speed with thoughtful hiring: strengthening internal hiring capabilities, relying on flexible talent models and improving the processes that shape how quickly new contributors can become effective.

‍

1. Strengthening Internal Hiring

When this approach works well, it can lead to stronger long-term retention and a more cohesive engineering culture, and it also builds organizational knowledge. Recruiters and technical leads learn from each search cycle, refining how they assess technical skills, communication styles and problem-solving. For companies focused on building a stable core team, that learning curve can be invaluable.

But strengthening internal hiring comes with its own challenges. It requires time—sometimes more than companies expect. There is also the matter of capacity. Internal recruiting teams need the bandwidth to source candidates, screen them, coordinate interviews and support ongoing searches. During periods of rapid growth, this workload can stretch teams thin and delay critical decisions.

For organizations that can invest in the process, a stronger internal hiring function offers long-term stability. It’s a slower path, but one that often results in high alignment, low turnover and a clear sense of ownership across the team.

‍

2. Using Flexible Talent Models

Many teams turn to flexible talent models when they need to scale quickly without delaying product work. Staff augmentation is one of the most common options in this category because it gives companies the ability to add experienced developers to existing squads without the long timelines of traditional hiring.

One of the main advantages of this model is the shorter path to productivity. Because these developers are already vetted, experienced and accustomed to working in agile, remote environments, they can ramp up quickly and start contributing with minimal onboarding. It can also reduce hiring risk, as companies don’t need to commit to long-term contracts or full-time hires. And with nearshore teams based in Latin America, time zones align naturally with U.S. working hours, which can help make real-time collaboration smooth and efficient.

That said, this strategy is not without challenges. In my experience running a nearshoring flexible talent model, I've found that they work best when the company's teams have clear ownership structures and strong communication habits. If internal processes are unclear or expectations aren’t aligned early, integration can be slower than expected. And not all partners deliver the same level of quality or continuity, so it's important to evaluate your potential flexible talent partner carefully to ensure they have a good track record in your industry.

Ultimately, success can depend on how prepared the organization is to work with distributed teams. Managed thoughtfully, flexible talent models can provide the speed teams need while keeping delivery on track. Managed poorly, they can add complexity instead of reducing it.

‍

3. Improving Your Hiring and Onboarding Processes

Regardless of the hiring model a company chooses, one factor consistently influences how quickly new team members become productive: the processes that surround hiring and onboarding. Clear workflows, well-structured onboarding, and disciplined product management often accelerate delivery more than adding headcount.

Strong onboarding can be especially powerful. I've found that when new hires receive context about the product, architecture and decision history from day one, they ramp up faster and avoid avoidable mistakes. Product and engineering processes play an equally important role; teams that document decisions, set expectations and prioritize work effectively often integrate new contributors more smoothly. When priorities shift constantly or knowledge lives only in people's heads, onboarding tends to become slower and more frustrating, regardless of whether the hire is internal or external.

‍

‍

Final Thoughts

Speed is only an advantage when paired with precision. Sustainable growth doesn’t come from hiring quickly, but from hiring intentionally. Hybrid models—strong internal teams supported by flexible external talent and clear hiring and onboarding practices—can be an effective way to stay agile without sacrificing quality.

There’s no single approach that works for everyone. But across the companies I’ve seen grow sustainably, one pattern is consistent: They treat hiring as a long-term capability, not a short-term fix. Choose the model that fits your culture, your needs and your stage of growth.

‍

This article was originally published on Forbes Council, and authored by Álvaro López

‍