The Ideal Candidate’s DNA

What’s the profile of the ideal candidate you want to hire?

Back in the 1990s I was a regular panel member at Assessment Centres.  I’ll never forget one bright day when the panel gathered in a country house, being handed a new 12-page evaluation form filled with 1–10 grids and boxes.  The young HR manager proudly briefed us on this “advanced” tool.

The moment she left the room, an older partner in a chalk-stripe pinstripe suit exploded: “Absolute bollocks! This rubbish doesn’t help!  It actually gets in the way of assessing talent.”

His point was simple: by the time candidates reached us, we already knew they could read, write, and calculate.  What mattered was something deeper.  He called it Latin, Bunny, and Pizzazz.

• Latin– Can they think? Can they solve problems without perfect data? Do they show practical wisdom?  Can they think from first principles and with an absence of data? 

• Bunny– Do you like them? Could you share an eight-hour flight and arrive energised, not drained?  Do they make people feel better by being in the room?

• Pizzazz– Do they have flair? Chutzpah? The X-factor that lifts them above the ordinary without tipping into brashness?

At the end of each day, we rated candidates high, medium, or low on each dimension.  The bar: at least two highs and one medium.  Anything less, no fit. Suddenly the panel was aligned.  We stopped drowning in forms and started making insightful decisions.

Too many recruiters, however, still believe the opposite.  They misuse tools designed for development such as psychometrics, 360s, personality inventories during the selection process and make out these will reveal “hidden truths” about candidates.  They don’t.  At best, these tools create false confidence.  At worst, they filter out people with precisely the originality, resilience, or spark an organisation needs. Recruitment is about judgement, business context, and character not lazy box-ticking.

Do you have a clear vision for who you’re hiring, or do you drift into mediocrity because your processes push you there?  Can you describe the qualities of your ideal candidate without checking a file?  Do you hold out for someone who strengthens the business or settle for second best?

Over the years I’ve sharpened my own list when selecting clients to work with. I look for:

• Fire– Passion, belief, energy. Do they have fire in the belly?  Do they believe they can achieve more?  Are they up for the challenge?
• Hands– are they willing and able to do the hardest task and go to work on themselves?  Are they prepared to face hard conversations and still get the job done?  Do they put in an extra shift to focus on “doing the right things, and do things right”?
• Striker– Do they have the hunger to score again and again?  Do they recognise the team and the work they put in without which they do not succeed?   Do they want to exceed expectations and excel?

I use the same scoring system as above: the bar is set at 2 highs and 1 medium to inform my “go /no go” decision.

Until you know the DNA of your ideal candidate, you’re flying blind. Recruitment forms may create comfort, but they don’t make selections, and they certainly don’t create conviction.  

True clarity comes from knowing exactly what qualities matter most and refusing to compromise.