One of the first things I say to candidates on first speaking, is that I’m going to play it absolutely straight over whether or not I see a fit between them and what my client is looking for.

The uncomfortable truth is that the vast majority of candidates I speak with, do not come close to the specific requirements of my clients, and so I have to politely tell them so.

Virtually without exception, this is respected and even appreciated.

We invariably part friends, and I’m able to keep searching for a role that fits them better.

In practice this means I have to let a lot of people down every single day, and I don’t like doing it one little bit.

However, I’m not here to be liked or win short term popularity contests, I’m here to help my clients find the rare and elusive candidates that will fit perfectly into their organization, be happy and productive in their work and ultimately drive long lasting value.

I could take short cuts and shoehorn the wrong people into the wrong jobs, but at what cost to my client and the new employee when the hire inevitably fails?

I often think that one of the measures of a great recruiter is not so much the candidates that are introduced, but more the many unseen ones we ultimately choose not to introduce.

Many of these individuals are exceptional candidates but not quite right for a specific client.

They would ultimately fail, damaging their own career and the company they joined.