There is no such thing as the ideal candidate

Insight

There is no such thing as the ideal candidate

Of course we all want to find that one, perfect candidate. For our company, within our team, but also in our relationships. Someone who meets all the requirements. When we look at it from a business perspective, it’s about the right education, exactly the right competencies for the role and fitting within the team. I like to call on clients to dare to make choices. Because no matter how long you search, the perfect candidate does not exist. And yet we often notice that people keep looking for it. Almost like the search for the sheep with five legs. People expect that someone has the right education, preferably also a lot of experience, has both social and cognitive skills and so on. Just like in private life, looking for the ideal partner is like looking for a needle in a haystack. And maybe it’s even less realistic …

Look at it realistically

It is necessary, especially in today’s tight labor market, to look at what a candidate really needs to perform well in a particular job. Make a distinction between what is a “must have” and what is a “plus”. Start from the ideal picture, and then delineate to a realistic picture. Make a distinction between competencies that are absolutely necessary within the role and traits in a person’s character or personality that are simply pleasant.

Complete your team

Also examine whether the person you have your eye on is someone who will complete your team. Therefore, look at what personalities are already present in the team and what is missing. Make sure you have a good mix between introverts and extroverts on your team, for example. It’s about balance, just like in the relationships you have in private. If you work with a static wish list and then tick off what someone does not meet, it has little chance of success. It’s all about the click, that familiar gut feeling. But take into account a number of things you definitely want that one candidate or that one friend or partner to have.

Use assessments

It is smart, especially in important positions, to work with assessments. From our practical experience, we know that competencies say a lot about how well someone is going to perform in a particular role. That’s because an assessment looks at cognitive traits, as well as personality, and motivations. And among other things, with these you can see how well a role fits someone. In this way, the predictive value of someone’s future performance is increased.

Insight