Why It’s Ok to Change Your Expectations When Hiring

A job search is a lot like a play in football. You can run through the play on paper and practice it all you want, but in the end nothing will go exactly as delineated in the playbook. Why? Because your variables are humans with minds of their own.

The same is true in recruiting. You may have an idea of what you think the ideal fit for the role is, how much you want to pay for someone to do the job, and what the title should be. But because you are hiring for humans and not machines, things can often get messy.

The most difficult searches I have taken on in recruiting are the ones in which the hiring manager offered no flexibility and imagination with the open requisition. Although the hiring manager knows their own company, and what they want to see in a colleague, they are not always abreast of what is available in the market.

Take, for example, a hiring manager who has a rigid limit on what they can pay a new employee. In this case, a hiring manager may need to concede room for slight variation away from their idea of the perfect candidate. If you cannot afford to pay for the top talent the market has to offer then you may need to make a concession when it comes to other things like pedigree, tenure, or education.

Stubbornness, whether it be by the hiring manager or the recruiter, will not get the position filled. The best way to make sure you are seeing the best candidates available is by communicating. It the responsibility of the recruiter to not only send the hiring manager qualified candidates, but also let him or her know of any impediments that may be keeping the search from progressing. Examples are:

• Salary: If there is a strict budget allocated for the position it may hinder interest from the top of the candidate pool.
• Location: Some roles may be able to function remotely, although that may not be your company policy. Understand that this may shrink the pool of candidates you are looking at.
• Years of experience: In my professional opinion this should always be open-ended. If the job description says 3-5 years then be open to candidates who have two solid years of experience. A candidate who has two years of hands-on experience coming from a smaller company may actually be more qualified than someone with three years coming from a larger company. It is important to pay attention to the particular experience that a candidate has within their current company.

Job searches and job descriptions are works in progress. Hiring managers and recruiters work together by trial and error to find the best candidate within the company’s means. As long as both parties are receptive to change and revisions to the role the requisition will be filled.