Over the years we in CareerWise have seen incredibly talented professionals come second in hiring processes. People who would, without doubt, thrive in the role. Yet for one reason or another, the job offer goes to someone else.
With St. Patrick’s Day upon us, it’s a good time to talk about why this happens?
Many candidates assume hiring works like a competition where the strongest person automatically wins. However, in reality, hiring is more like assembling a team.
Hiring managers may already have strong technical experts but need someone with client-facing skills. They may have a team that’s immensely experienced but lacking fresh ideas or a department under pressure that needs someone who can hit the ground running immediately.
In those situations, the decision isn’t always about who is objectively the best candidate, it’s about who is the best fit at that exact moment. That distinction maybe small on paper, but is huge in practice.
One of the most common reasons candidates miss out is something that’s often completely outside their control.
Timing – I’ve seen situations where two top tier candidates reach final stage interviews. Both could quite clearly do the job brilliantly. But one candidate has worked with a very specific system, industry, or market that the company needs right now.
It’s not that the other candidate couldn’t learn these skills, it’s that the business needs someone who already has it.
Internal Applicants – Companies often interview external candidates while also considering someone internally. That person may already understand the business, the team, and the systems. Even if an external candidate performs exceptionally well, an internal move can still make sense for the company.
For the external candidate, it can feel like following a rainbow only to discover the gold has already been claimed. However, from the employer’s perspective, it’s often about retention, development, and continuity.
At final interview stage, the margin between candidates can be incredibly small. We’re not talking about massive skill gaps. Sometimes the difference comes down to things like:
When the decision is this close, it’s less about who is better and more about who is closer to what the business needs today.
This is the part many candidates struggle to believe, but it’s the honest truth we as recruiters see every day. You can perform brilliantly in a hiring process and still not get the job.
We regularly speak to candidates who impress everyone involved but lose out for reasons completely unrelated to their ability. In fact, many times those candidates are exactly the people we come back to for future roles. Strong candidates rarely stay on the market long.
If you’ve recently been rejected after a strong interview process, here’s something worth remembering:
Your career is not a single rainbow. It’s a series of opportunities, conversations, and connections that build over time.
We see it happen all the time! Sometimes the role you miss out on leads to one that’s a far better fit.
So, if you’re currently searching for your next opportunity, keep going.
Because sometimes the rainbow doesn’t end where you expect, but the gold is still out there.
Louise has a Marketing Degree from Limerick Institute of Technology. She has also completed a Certificate in Personnel Practice from the National College of Ireland. She is also CIPD accredited. She has 16 years Recruitment experience with Collins McNicholas (Dublin, Galway & Athlone), HRM (Dublin), Lionbridge (Mayo) and Team Horizon (Mayo & Dublin).
She has also worked in Quality Assurance in Allergan (Mayo) & with Ballina Beverages (Mayo).
She has successful recruitment experience involving key roles within Human Resources, Engineering, Quality Assurance and Planning for large multinational companies. She was involved in recruiting all levels including Senior Management for the Medical Devices, Electronic, Pharmaceutical & Manufacturing Industries both on the contracting and permanent side of the business. She has developed a Strong Network of Engineers built up over the last 16 years as she worked in the Mayo, Sligo, Dublin, Athlone and Galway Markets.
Louise has joined CareerWise in March 2017 with the responsibility of growing the business out of the new Mayo office with a primary focus on the West & North-West regions.
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So… Why Should a Human Hire You?CareerWise Recruitment. EastGate Village, EastGate, Little Island, Cork.
Phone: +353 (0) 21 206 1900
Email: info@careerwise.ie
