The first contact a job-seeker has with either an agency or employer is usually through their C.V. landing on a desk. Good résumés clearly display a candidate's education, training, skills, career aspirations and more....yet research shows that it's within the first thirty seconds of face-to-face interviewing that the person hiring makes their decision.

So, whilst someone may seem the perfect match on paper - an absolute fit for the job - our human nature commonly chooses the person we like the look of, or who our intuition favours.

But is this right?
Arvinder Dhesi, senior client partner for the EMEA HR practice at leadership and talent consultancy, Korn Ferry, says, "There are two main problems with relying solely on personal judgements. Firstly, it's backward looking. Secondly, without an agreed, forward-looking frame of reference to judge potential candidates, the decision will be more of a reflection on the character and relationships of the decision-maker than a dispassionate judgement based on an agreed future requirement."
When you detach personal feeling from the scenario, it seems common sense that the person who best matches the role on paper should be the person for the vacancy - compared to someone less qualified or suitable, just because they may be the one the interviewer liked the most after meeting them in person.
Whilst 'fitting in' and being able to work well as part of a team are coveted traits when hiring, it's hard to judge this in thirty seconds; just because someone makes a good first impression, doesn't mean to say they're automatically a team player. Nerves can affect the best of people in an interview situation, and whilst we favour charismatic people for such as leadership roles or those carrying responsibility, if you've ever read Susan Cain's lifelong research on introversion vs. extroversion, you'll see that 'those who shout the loudest don't necessarily shout the best'.
If someone looks the best fit on paper, this should surely be the overriding factor in a hiring decision. As Arvinder states: "The US Department of Labor recently calculated the average cost of a bad hire at around 30% of the individual's first-year earnings." To avoid unnecessary costs, perhaps instilling objectivity when it comes to assessing candidates would prove a good business strategy for any recruiter, to ensure both personality and talent are part of a informed yet balanced decision.
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