It’s a red flag when candidates are ‘too good’ for selection processes

“You’re going to lose him”, the recruiter complained. She had worked hard to find Jim, whom she believed was a great fit for the EVP of operations role for a mid-sized retailer. The company liked Jim, but asked him to complete a rigorous assessment and interview process to determine if he was the RIGHT candidate for the role.

Jim became frustrated with the process. He felt like his record spoke for itself, and he shouldn’t have to go through “all these time-consuming psycho-analyses”.

The recruiter knew Jim was a hot commodity and would be snapped up by another company without going through this pain.

There seems to be a tendency for recruiters and companies to become enamored with candidates. A candidate may seem to have the right qualities – experience, charisma, maybe even an impressive track record of results.

When this happens, it can be tempting to focus on wooing the candidate and put quality selection processes on the back burner.

In my personal experience, this often results in a failed hiring decision. Leading organizations is difficult, and having a thorough understanding of candidates for critical roles maximizes the chances of a successful hire and reduces the risk of a failed decision.

There are exceptions to every rule, but in an organization that encourages humility and teamwork, it’s a red flag if a candidate is not willing to go through a rigorous selection process. No matter how talented they appear on the surface, this will be a recipe for disaster.

My recommendation to the mid-sized retailer – stick to your guns. If the candidate is the RIGHT candidate, they will gladly go through the assessment process.