LinkedIn, job databases and AI have made it easier than ever to find people with the right qualifications on paper.
But that hasn’t necessarily made it easier to hire the right person.
A CV tells us what a candidate has done. It tells us far less about how they collaborate, communicate, respond under pressure – or work with other people.
And that is often where the difference between a successful hire and a poor one lies.
A developer can be technically brilliant but struggle to collaborate with the business.
A project manager may have delivered major projects but lose perspective when the pressure builds.
And a leader can have the perfect CV but create a culture where employees stop speaking their minds.
You rarely find that on a CV.
That’s why the most interesting interview questions aren’t always the easiest ones:
How do you react when someone challenges your decision?
What happens to your communication style when you’re under pressure?
When was the last time you received feedback that made you change your behaviour?
What matters isn’t just the answer. It’s the conversation that follows, the examples they share and the candidate’s ability to reflect on their own behaviour.
The Most Technically Qualified Candidate Isn’t Always the Best Hire
Of course, professional expertise matters. But at Recruit IT, we don’t just look for candidates who can do the job.
We also want to understand how they will do it.
We achieve this through in-depth interviews, screening, testing and assessments – and by challenging both the candidate and our own initial impressions.
LinkedIn can find the right keywords. A CV can document experience. AI can help with a great deal.
But the difficult question remains:
Will this particular person succeed in this role, with this manager and within this organisation?
That’s one of the things you pay a skilled headhunter for.
Not simply to find five CVs.
But to make the difficult decisions a little easier. 🎯
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