There is an answer to the candidate shortage, start hiring based on potential and mindset!

As we move into the new year, conversations around recruitment strategies and budgets for 2023 are already taking place. We remain in a candidate-driven market, so hiring candidates based on potential is something more Hiring Managers and HR professionals should be considering.

I've always wanted to understand my candidates on a much deeper level in order to get to know the real them and the kind of personality they really have, outside of an interview setting. Gaining this deeper understanding is extremely important when matching and shortlisting. Regardless of the experience someone has, Hiring Managers need to feel a connection with the person during the interview process, otherwise it just won't work. You can have a great candidate, but they might not be right for a specific organisation and vice versa.

Over the last few months, I've noticed many of my new and existing candidates are looking for different career paths and routes in order to really level-up professionally.?

I've also had some really productive conversations with some of my clients about the importance of hiring on potential, especially when considering diversifying their workforce. Each person within a work environment/team contributes something special regardless of their level of seniority. It could be personality trait, them being a subject matter expert or a quantifiable ambition and having that spark that can sometimes be lacking with long standing employees.

When I interviewed for my first role in recruitment 16 years ago, my first interview was fine, but the 2nd one started off being a total shambles.

Part of the interview process was a presentation which I did on a piece of paper (handwritten) as I didn't have a laptop. Having never done a presentation before, navigating PowerPoint was like quantum physics back then.

I remember catching a glance at one of my interviewers, and I could tell she was bored; I knew I'd lost her, and in my gut, I thought I'd totally messed up. She actually stopped the interview as she could see I was nervous. At this point, she then asked me about myself; she was curious about the real me and wanted to know what I liked doing out of work, etc. I can't remember what I said, but I just started talking and made them laugh. Once I realised this was the way to win them over, I immediately relaxed and they started to see the real me.

Not only did I have a successful career in that organisation and was promoted 4 times, I was also the best performing consultant within my sector for 4 years in a row. The interviewers saw something in me that day and despite my presentation being extremely amateur, they knew I had potential. Somewhere amongst the chaos, they believed I'd make a credible recruiter one day and gave me the opportunity at Freedom Recruitment (Thanks Catherine Delaney FIRP and Emma Kuenyefu ).

I've met some really strong candidates over the years who 100% could have done a particular job; however, because they didn't tick every single box on the Job Description or didn't have a like for like title, they were not selected for a first stage interview. The reality is many candidates continue to miss out on opportunities to operate at an elevated level. Still, it doesn't mean they lack the capability and competencies to do the role.

A CV is a piece of paper essentially. It doesn't show your passion, willingness to learn or personality. Job Descriptions are great at outlining the specifics of a role and are often used to measure someone's experience and capabilities; however, sometimes, life experience and characteristics are just as valuable.

In such a candidate-driven market, I urge more Hiring Managers to start investing in people again. If you connect with someone during an interview and feel they'd be a good culture add, but know they aren't where you need them to be right now, consider taking a chance on them.?

Finding the "perfect candidate" can sometimes be challenging but by giving the right people the opportunity to develop, perfection may just be within your grasp.?