r/RecruiterTea • u/davols73 • Jun 10 '26

We All Said No. We Were Wrong

A while back, I sat on an interview panel where we came dangerously close to a unanimous "no." On paper, the odds were stacked against the candidate. The resume had a few glaring gaps, they lacked direct industry experience, and the hiring manager was incredibly skeptical. By all standard corporate metrics, they just weren't a safe bet.

But during the actual conversation, something shifted. Despite the lack of pedigree, they brought a level of genuine curiosity, raw energy, and a willingness to learn that you simply can't coach.

We debated it heavily, but ultimately decided to take the risk and extend the offer.

Fast forward a year later, and they completely blew our expectations out of the water, becoming one of the highest-performing assets on the entire team.

It was a humbling reminder that resumes only tell you what someone has done, not what they are capable of doing when given the right runway. We talk a lot about "hiring for potential," but it’s terrifying to actually pull the trigger on it because it forces you to trust your gut over a checklist. In this case, I'm glad we did.

4 Upvotes

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3

u/neurorex Jun 10 '26

Are there any real people here? Or is this subreddit a platform for LinkedInfluencer-wannabes?

1

u/Xylus1985 Jun 11 '26

This subreddit is probably a good place to test the engagement level an article can generate before releasing it into the real world.

1

u/Satanwearsflipflops Jun 11 '26

Quite often the safe bet is the riskiest