The wildcard...

The wildcard principle - that person you come across who isn't a perfect fit but there's just something about them that's exciting.

For me that the beauty of resourcing, the blend of art and science, taking a job spec, talking to the manager, knowing the culture, the team and applying it to the search. The magical feeling, the reason humans are not algorithms or robots, intuition, the reason we shine.

I have been that person, hiring and being hired. Think Aviv, global business, massive UK recruitment activity, when they acquired the RAC (long time ago), I became the RAC Recruitment Manager. It was one of the highlights of my career. On paper I was not the perfect match, I was not a Recruiter nor had I led a Recruitment team, I had leadership experience, passion, influence, expertise creating and leading split site teams and a positive attitude. I learnt a lot about resourcing, a new business and created a high performing team.

It led me to absolutely believe in the power of the wildcard.

By knowing our trade, using skill and experience to understand what's needed and having fresh eyes; that candidate someone else may overlook as they don't match the blueprint sometimes is exactly what's needed.

More often than not I will have negotiated space on my shortlist form a wildcard. I find it's good to showcase how a role could be done differently or the extra dynamic a person could bring to a team (leadership or otherwise).

As long as its a rational, unbiased decision they can add great value to the conversation even if they don’t go further. A subtle way to challenge current thinking in a positive and non confrontational way.

And then, when your wildcard candidate secures the position and flies is when it all comes together. Where resourcing meets talent and where diversity and inclusion show tangible business benefits.

It can be easy to source the perfect fit, the straightforward option, match requirements and no flex. But bringing expertise and having the courage to look further than today is what I call value add.

Now I'm writing this with a professional career of 20+ years. Blue chip, multi sector, breadth of skills, lots of experience, leadership, management, consultancy skills and latterly a very strange mix of agricultural and warehousing based in North Yorkshire, I suspect I've become that wildcard.

Not quite a perfect match, adaptable, flexible, transferable skills, heaps of experience and authentic. I hope next time you're sourcing you'll give the wildcard a chance.

You never know where it could lead.