What employers should really look for when hiring

When a vacancy needs filling, it's natural to focus on the CV: years of experience, previous job titles, qualifications. Those matter — but they rarely explain why one hire thrives and another struggles. In our experience, three things make the real difference.

1. Capability — the right skills, properly tested

Start by separating the skills someone must have on day one from those they could learn in the first few months. Many job descriptions list both as essential, which narrows the field unnecessarily and can exclude excellent people.

Then test the essentials properly. Ask candidates to talk through a real situation they've handled, or to work through a practical scenario relevant to your business. How someone approaches a problem tells you more than a list of responsibilities.

2. Motivation — why this role, and why now?

People who genuinely want the job tend to learn faster and stay longer. Explore it openly:

• What attracted them to this role in particular?
• What are they hoping to do more of — and less of?
• Where do they want to be in two or three years, and does your role help them get there?

A candidate whose ambitions align with what you can offer is often a better long-term hire than one with slightly more experience who sees the role as a stopgap.

3. Fit — with the team, not just the culture

"Culture fit" can quietly become "people like us", which limits diversity of thinking. A better question is culture add: will this person work well with the team as it is, and bring something it currently lacks?

Think about how your team really works. Is it fast-paced and informal, or structured and detailed? Do people collaborate constantly or work independently? Be honest with candidates about this — the right people will be drawn to it, and the wrong ones will rule themselves out.

Make the process work for you

• Be clear on the brief before you start. Agree internally what success looks like.
• Move at a sensible pace. Good candidates often have options; long gaps between stages lose them.
• Sell the opportunity, too. Interviews are a two-way decision.
• Give feedback. It reflects well on your business, even when the answer is no.

Where a recruiter helps

A good recruiter does much of this groundwork before you meet anyone: understanding your business, testing motivation, and being honest with you about the market — including when your salary or requirements may need a second look. The result should be fewer, better conversations.