When to take a chance on an imperfect job candidate

As a recruiter I see a lot of job descriptions and some are better than others. At the same time a see a lot of resumes… and yes, some are better than others here as well.

Here’s a little recruiting 101 tidbit… there is no perfect candidate!

There will always be a skillset shortfall and/or tradeoff to be made.

How do you reconcile everything?

A recent HBR article does a great job in attempting to address this.

See the link to the full article in the comments below.

Here are the key takeaways:

Do

Be objective and data driven in your job description by figuring out the top three characteristics/skills you seek; ignore superficial flaws like job-hopping.

Focus on the applicant’s potential for growth and capacity to learn; knowledge and skills are more easily acquirable.
Seek out others’ opinions on whether a candidate’s shortcoming is surmountable. Peers are particularly good at ferreting out this information.
Don’t

Ignore character defects. If candidates lie, are abusive, or have lousy work habits, they’re not likely to change.

Overlook the importance of self-awareness and emotional intelligence — these are especially important for candidates who don’t necessarily fit the mold.

Succumb to pressure to hire someone who’s just “pretty good” for a high-profile job. The cost of a bad hire is steep.

REMEMBER: There is a mutual leap of faith being taken. The candidate is also deciding if YOU represent the right move for them from a career trajectory standpoint.

https://hbr.org/2021/03/when-to-take-a-chance-on-an-imperfect-job-candidate?utm_medium=emailutm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_campaign=weeklyhotlist_activesubs&utm_content=signinnudge&deliveryName=DM123283