“Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt
We don’t sit behind a recruiting desk every day (shoutout to our recruitment team), but we’ve been spending a lot of time in that role lately. Between expanding into new markets and finalizing our upcoming intern class, we’ve been busy reviewing resumes and conducting interviews.
During one of our post-interview debriefs, we were reminded of a real risk worth sharing.
Conversations can easily shift from “Is this person right for the role?” to “How does this person compare to the other candidates?”
Who interviewed better? Who had the stronger resume? Who seemed more polished in the room?
After enough interviews, decision fatigue can start to set in. When that happens, comparison becomes the easiest shortcut. Instead of evaluating each candidate against the role itself, you start evaluating them against the pool.
But it’s important to remember: each candidate should stand on their own – measured against the needs of the role, your culture, and your team’s capacity. Not against each other.
Maybe you hire one. Maybe you hire two. Or maybe you hire none at all from the current group. (In our case, we ended up hiring three instead of the two we originally planned…)
Because the goal isn’t to select the “best” person from the pack. The goal is to find the right person (or people) for the role.
So take some advice from Teddy: Comparison might be the thief of joy. But in hiring, it might also be the thief of your next great employee.
Until next time,
Your Spherion WI & Northern IL team