Hiring Sexy Doesn’t Always End up as a Slam Dunk

I’m going to say something that I’ve never said publicly here about hiring talent.

Here goes…

Sometimes, the sexy hire just isn’t the right hire to make. Sometimes, the person that offers growth, transformation and promises to ‘shake things up’ isn’t the right thing to go for. Sometimes, just because they’re a great PR story with a bunch of esteemed business logos and awards, they’re not right for your business right now.  

Take it from someone that’s turned down some of the most incredibly tempting people in the recruitment industry to build my business, UNKNOWN. 

They would have 10xd our growth. Transformed our offering. And all the other dreamy things… but at what cost?

In times as bumpy as these, as hirers, it’s important to ask ourselves some of the honest questions.

1. Do we have enough runway for this hire to make mistakes on their journey to greatness for at least 6 months?

2. Does this person have the very honest version of this job spec? And are they crystal clear on the challenges they’re coming into battle with us?

3. What story are they going to tell their future employer about their time with us? Is it a positive one?

Sometimes we convince ourselves that we're ready to bring in the person that brings a lot of change with them, only to realise we weren't. And it results in a net negative hire, which is costly in many different ways. Not least for the person and the people around the hire.

So... there it is. We preach transformation over stagnancy, but in times like these, sometimes the right thing to do is what you've always done well.