Had the hiring decision already been made?

It’s an uncomfortable question. But it is a situation that sometimes happens.

A company identifies someone it believes is the right person for the role. And yet, it decides to open a recruitment process.

 

· Publishes the vacancy.

· Receives dozens or even hundreds of applications.

· Asks the recruitment consultancy to carry out the screening.

· Interviews several candidates.

· Presents a shortlist.

· Conducts interviews.

· Follows up with assessments, references and, finally, the decision.

 

Everything looks rigorous.

But if the decision had already been made at the beginning, what was the real purpose of the whole process?

To validate a decision?

If that is the case, perhaps we are confusing process with rigour.

A recruitment consultancy should not be hired to find arguments that confirm a choice that has already been made.

It should be hired to test that choice.

To ask:

— Why is this person the best option?

— What alternatives are available in the market?

— What are we overlooking?

— What skills will be needed two or three years from now?

— Are we choosing the right person, or simply the person we know best?

— And, above all, would we hire this person if we didn’t already know them?

This is where I believe an important part of the true value of a recruitment consultancy lies. It is not simply about presenting candidates.

It is about bringing an external perspective, market knowledge and the ability to challenge assumptions.

Because interviewing 20 people when we already know who we want to hire may simply be a process.

But interviewing 20 people to find out whether the person we had in mind is still the best choice is something completely different.

It is turning recruitment into decision-making.

And perhaps that is the difference between filling a position and making a hire.