When you’re filling a role in your company, you want to make a great hire—someone who brings value, fits in culturally, and sticks around long enough to make a real impact. But here’s the trap that many businesses fall into: They hire the best applicant who applied, not the right person for the role. At first glance, that may seem like the same thing. But in reality, it’s a distinction that can mean the difference between building a high-performing team and dealing with constant turnover, poor fit, and wasted time.
Let's break down:
- The difference between the best applicant and the right person
- Why starting with an Ideal Candidate Profile is crucial
- How recruiting passive candidates puts you in control
- And how to stop settling for “good enough” hires
Let’s dig in.
The Best Applicant vs. The Right Person
When you post a job, review résumés, and interview candidates, it’s easy to assume the hiring decision will be obvious. After all, the best candidate will rise to the top of the pile, right? Maybe. But here’s the problem: The best candidate who applied might still be far from the right person for the job. Think of it this way: If only five people apply to your open position, and all five are underqualified, then the “best” of them is still… not the person you actually need.
And yet, that’s the default mode for most hiring processes—choose the top person from the applicant pool. It’s reactive. It’s limiting. And it puts you at the mercy of who happened to see your job ad during a specific timeframe. To find the right person, you have to think differently.
Start With Clarity: Build Your Ideal Candidate Profile
Before you even launch a search, take a step back and ask: “Who is the right person for this role?” Not “who do we hope applies,” but “who do we actually need?”
This is where your Ideal Candidate Profile comes in. Think of it as the blueprint for your next hire. It helps you align your search with your goals—and keeps you from being distracted by shiny résumés that don’t truly fit. A lot of the times when I see businesses really struggling to fill a role, it’s not because there’s a lack of qualified talent, it’s because they’re searching without the necessary clarity of what their ideal candidate really looks like.
Your Ideal Candidate Profile should include:
- Core skills and competencies
What technical abilities or past experiences are non-negotiable?
- Soft skills and personality traits
Do they need to be highly collaborative? Independent? Resilient under pressure?
- Motivators and career stage
Are you looking for someone hungry to grow, or a seasoned pro who can mentor others?
- Cultural alignment
What values should this person share with your organization?
- Likely background
What industries, job titles, or companies might your ideal hire currently be in?
This profile becomes your guiding light. It’s how you evaluate applicants, but more importantly, it’s how you build your outreach strategy if you want to go beyond the job boards.
Why Passive Candidates Are Often the Best Candidates
Here’s the hard truth: your ideal candidate may not be looking for a job right now. Let me rephrase that…Your ideal candidate is probably not looking for a job right now. They might be busy making an impact at another company. They might be happy where they are, but open to the right opportunity. These are passive candidates—people who aren’t actively job searching, but who could be persuaded to consider a move. And guess what? These are often the people you want most.
Top performers rarely spend a lot of time on job boards. They’re usually recruited—because other companies are smart enough and intentional enough to go out and get them. So instead of waiting for them to come to you, you go to them!
That’s the power of proactive recruiting—recruiting passive candidates:
- You control the process. You’re not limited to who shows up in your inbox. You’re targeting people who match your Ideal Candidate Profile.
- You raise the talent bar. The average applicant pool doesn’t always reflect the best available talent. When you recruit passively, you access candidates who aren’t in that pool at all.
- You reduce hiring mistakes. Passive recruiting gives you more options—and more options mean you’re less likely to settle.
The Cost of Settling
Let’s say you skip all this. You post the job, get a dozen applicants, and pick the “best” one—even though they’re only 75% of what you were hoping for.
They start strong. Seem sharp. But within a few months, the cracks show:
- They struggle in key areas you assumed they could handle.
- Their attitude doesn’t quite align with your culture.
- They require more oversight than expected.
- Morale suffers—because every single person on your team affects culture.
- They leave (or need to be let go).
Now you’re back at square one. Except now you’ve lost time, momentum, and money. Sound familiar? Hiring mistakes are expensive—not just financially, but also in terms of team productivity, customer experience, and leadership energy. And more often than not, they happen because companies settle for good enough instead of insisting on the right fit.
How to Shift Your Hiring Mindset
So how do you shift from reactive hiring to strategic recruiting?
Here’s a simple framework to guide you:
- Define success before you start.
Create a clear, detailed Ideal Candidate Profile. Share it with everyone involved in the hiring process. Better yet, get your team involved it creating it.
- Don’t rely on job postings alone.
Post the job—but don’t stop there. Engage recruiters, use LinkedIn outreach, tap into your professional network, and consider agencies that specialize in your industry.
- Engage passive candidates early.
Even if you don’t have an immediate opening, start building relationships with people who match your ideal profile. That way, when the time comes, you’re not starting from scratch.
- Be willing to wait for the right person.
Rushed hiring often leads to regret. Take the time to get it right the first time.
Final Thoughts
Hiring isn’t about luck—it’s about intention.
If your strategy is to post a job and pick the best résumé that shows up, you’ll keep getting average results—at best. But if you define exactly who you’re looking for, and you go out and get them—even if they’re not actively looking—you’ll build a team that truly moves your business forward. So don’t settle! Don’t hire the best of who applied. Hire the right person for the job. Because in the long run, that’s how great teams—and great companies—are built.
Need help building a better hiring strategy?
BR1 can help! Whether you’re looking to define your Ideal Candidate Profile or launch a proactive search, we can help you find and attract the right people—not just the ones who happen to apply. Reach out today and let’s build your dream team!
