A decade in recruitment has taught me a few things
A decade in recruitment has taught me a few things.
- Some of them I probably should have worked out sooner.
1. The best CV doesn't necessarily belong to the best candidate.
A CV tells you where someone has been. It doesn't necessarily tell you how they'll perform in a different environment, how they'll lead, how they'll handle difficult situations, or what they're capable of next.
Experience matters. But so do potential, personality, adaptability, and drive.
2. Candidates remember how you communicate with them.
They might not remember every detail of the job description.
They will remember being left waiting three weeks for feedback.
They'll remember whether you kept them updated, whether you were honest when things changed and whether you treated them like a person rather than an application.
And that's not just good recruitment practice. It reflects the organisation they're potentially joining.
3. Clients don't always know exactly who they need when they start.
A brief can be very specific.
“We need someone who's done X, Y and Z, in our sector, with this background, at this level…”
But sometimes, once you really understand the business, the challenges and the team, you realise the answer isn't quite what was written on the original job description.
That's why I think the best recruitment conversations happen before a search starts.
4. Growing a team isn't just about adding good people.
It's about bringing people with you.
If you're trying to change the way a team operates, improve performance or create a different culture, hiring good people is only the starting point.
You have to bring people with you.
You have to explain the why, demonstrate the behaviours you're looking for, challenge the behaviours you don't, and, importantly, be consistent.
Changing culture isn't something you announce in a team meeting and tick off the list.
It takes time.
It can be uncomfortable.
And not everyone will come with you.
But ultimately, culture is about the behaviours you consistently see — not the values written on the wall.
5. Sometimes the right answer is not to hire someone.
This one took me a while to properly appreciate.
It's easy to think recruitment is successful when someone gets hired.
Sometimes it is.
Sometimes success is telling a client that the person they really like isn't right for the role.
Particularly at senior level, a poor appointment can cost far more than the recruitment fee.
6. Recruitment is ultimately about people, not CVs.
After nearly a decade, I think this is the bit I enjoy most.
Understanding why someone would move.
What motivates them.
What they're genuinely good at.
Where they might struggle.
What the business actually needs.
And whether the two sides are right for each other.
I still get plenty wrong.
But I think I've become a much better recruiter by learning that my job isn't simply to find someone who looks right on paper.
It's to help two parties make a really good decision about each other.
