If you’ve ever been part of a hiring process, chances are good you’ve experienced a conversation like the one in this email thread. Communication is always a hot topic in the world of recruitment and retention, and for good reason: How (and how often) someone communicates can make or break a hiring process.

A lack of communication almost always results in undesired outcomes: When candidates don’t hear back from recruiters or hiring managers, they lose interest in the role or take on other opportunities. When hiring managers don’t hear back from candidates or recruiters, they move forward with other candidates or search firms. When recruiters don’t hear back from candidates or hiring managers, they move on to other projects.

On the other hand, positive communication helps streamline decision-making processes, keeps everyone’s interest and commitment levels high, and ensures that everyone has the information they need to make informed choices, leading to higher rates of successful, long-term hires.

Here are 3 of the most common communication mistakes that we see during the hiring process, and how hiring managers and candidates alike can avoid them.

Mistake #1: Letting 3 months go by before a decision is made. When there’s a long gap between a hiring manager initiating the interview process and making a final decision, candidates get the impression that the company isn’t really interested in hiring them. It can also communicate a lack of commitment to making a change within the company or a lack of confidence among the decision-makers, and – maybe worst of all – it can give a negative impression about how the company is run, demonstrating disorganization and a lack of efficiency. Similarly, if a candidate creates delays with poor communication of their own, it can give hiring managers a negative impression of what kind of employee that candidate might be.

• Solution: For hiring managers, be strategic – and realistic – about who needs to be a decision-maker during the hiring process. Remember that the more people on a hiring team, the more schedules you have to juggle and the easier it can be to encounter delays. Make a clear plan about timing and communication expectations (both internally – within the hiring team – and externally, including candidates and any third-party stakeholders like recruiters). Then, revisit that plan at regular intervals to ensure everyone’s still on the same page. For both hiring managers and candidates, as a general rule, never let more than a few days pass between communications – even if it’s just a quick check-in to confirm you’re still interested. Finally, aim for a realistic hiring timeline – in most cases, about 30 days between the start of a search process and a final decision should be realistic.

Mistake #2: Allowing frustration to color conversations. There are plenty of situations in professional life – including in the hiring process – when frustration is perfectly understandable. After all, hiring processes have real stakes for real human beings, so when things get bogged down, take longer than planned, or complications arise, it’s reasonable for the people involved to feel frustrated or impatient. However, there are ways to express that frustration while keeping your communications professional and respectful. The way you communicate tells people about who you are and how you approach stressful situations; in every communication, you’re “selling” your candidacy or management style.

• Solution: If you’re frustrated, stressed, or even angry, pause before you communicate. Don’t make a phone call or send an email in the heat of the moment. Take deep breaths, go for a walk, or talk to a trusted advisor first, giving yourself a chance to calm down and respond to frustrating situations rationally and respectfully. With written communications, consider writing a draft, then stepping away for a few hours or having someone you trust read over it to give you input. Taking time and space from a stressful situation can help you respond in a way that makes your feelings clear while keeping your tone professional and keeping the door open for healthy conversations.

Mistake #3: “Filling in the blanks” when you’re not sure about a situation. When communication falls short of expectations and we’re left to work in an “information vacuum,” it’s a natural human tendency to “fill in the blanks” about what someone’s silence means. When a candidate doesn’t get a response, they think, “They don’t like my resume,” “they’re not interested,” or “they already filled the position.” For hiring managers, silence translates to “the candidate already found another position,” “they aren’t interested in the company,” or “we didn’t like them that much anyway.” For recruiters, no feedback leads to thoughts like “the company isn’t really ready to make a hire,” “the candidate isn’t reliable,” and “I should move on to other projects.” In all of these cases, a lack of communication leads to a loss of enthusiasm about a role or candidate and, eventually, a decision to move on to a different opportunity.

• Solution: Don’t let that natural impulse to make assumptions take over; instead, commit to the better decision to communicate clearly and effectively what you think and what you need. Stay in contact throughout the hiring process. There’s no need for a novel-length response every day or two, but a simple “yes, we’re interested in meeting with this candidate” or “he doesn’t have XYZ experience and we need someone who does” will help keep likes of communication open and help candidates, recruiters, and hiring managers alike stay on the same page with expectations and status reports.

Every hiring relationship is unique. Strong communication takes attention and intention. New relationships may need a little "tweaking" at the start to build rapport and shared expectations.

Communication is a learning process. By learning from these common mistakes, professionals can keep conversations open, relationships strong, and prevent great opportunities from slipping away.