While finding the perfect candidate with the exact skills and experience that you are looking for is a perfectly acceptable ideal to aspire to, many businesses are finding it difficult to find candidates who are an exact match. As a result, some forward-thinking businesses are extending their search criteria to include people who may have done a similar job in a different industry, or who have the kind of attitude they are looking for, coupled with the aptitude to acquire the skills that they are missing.

You may be sitting reading this and thinking that it all sounds well and good in theory, but how can it work in practice. After all, when you advertise a job, you probably get a high volume of applicants. How else can you screen them, other than by the skills they say that they possess? And if you were to broaden your criteria, how would you know which candidates had the right attitude and aptitude, just from an application form or CV? The answer of course, is that you cannot tell any of that from a CV, or even an application form.

Of course, if you work with a recruitment agent, it all becomes a lot easier. Especially if your recruitment agent actually meets all the candidates, they send you(some don’t ☹)

A few years ago, I had a client that had a vacancy coming up for an Executive Assistant. I’d recruited for them before, so I already knew what type of candidate would be a good cultural fit. We discussed the role and what they were looking for, and one of the key requirements for the position was that candidates had to have advanced Excel skills.

I went through my own database of candidates, speaking to them about the role, however the stumbling block was the advanced Excel skills. So, I advertised the role, sifted through hundreds of CVs, and eventually met with 12 potential candidates. Unfortunately, no one seemed to have the right level of Excel skills. However, one stood out due to her personality and I knew she would be a great culture fit for my client. 

I met with my client and explained the challenge I was facing. I told them that there was one candidate, who apart from only being at an intermediate level in Excel, was perfect for the company and the role. They decided that since the person currently in the role was due to leave shortly, they would meet with the candidate and explore how much training they would need. They agreed that it would be better to have someone in the role and train them, rather than have the role vacant. Needless to say, they loved her and decided that her personality and attitude were more important than advanced Excel skills, and she is still in the role five years later.

When I meet the candidates, I have short-listed for the position you are looking to fill, I am already screening them for how well they will fit into your business from a cultural point of view. So, I am already making sure that they have the right attitude for your organisation, and I can just as easily assess whether they have the aptitude to fill any skills gaps. I also have a bank of candidates who are looking for new jobs, and I already know which ones could fit into your business and be fully operational in a matter of months.

If you do not work with a recruitment agent, then you could ask your existing staff, or networking contacts if they can recommend anyone. Personal recommendations can be extremely successful and bring you people who you otherwise would not have considered.

If you are open to hiring a misfit, here are the three ways to make it work for you.

One: Be very clear about which skills are essential, and which ones could be learned on the job, or through training courses, in an acceptable amount of time. If you are working with a recruitment consultant, go through the role criteria with them, and they will help you. I am always happy to break down the role with my clients and help them to identify what skills could move to ‘desired’ rather from ‘required’.

Two: Be open to people who come from different industries. It is important to look beyond the job titles. Many people have transferable skills that can fit right into your role. Having an open mind can benefit your business, as someone from a different industry or with a different set of skills, can bring a fresh perspective to how you operate, and even suggest improvements you would not have considered to your working practices.

Last year we had been working with a candidate whose background is in the oil and gas industry. He is smart, brim-full of transferable skills, and has lots of great experience. It would be so easy to train him up in another industry’s practices.

Unfortunately, he has been struggling to find a position, because potential employers are making assumptions based on his background. Personally, I am glad he is found me, because for an open-minded company he’s going to be a great hire.

Three: Have a clearly defined induction and training plan in place with agreed performance indicators, so that the candidate is clear about what is expected of them, and so that you get a fully skilled worker within a reasonable timeframe. While it’s great to hire someone with a view to training them in some aspect of the job, it makes sense that you and the candidate both commit to that happening as quickly as possible. Therefore, a structured training programme should be put in place, starting with their induction. You can agree on performance milestones so that you can both be confident that suitable progress is being made.

Hiring a misfit can turn out to be a great business decision. Instead of waiting for the ideal candidate to come along, you have a capable person learning the role and fulfilling most of the role. Which in most cases has to be better than having nobody in the position at all?

If you want to explore what hiring a misfit could do for your business, or if you have been struggling to fill a particular vacancy, give me a call on 07510 051781 or drop me an email at valerie.cowan@valeco.co.uk for an initial chat about how I can help you.