Thermoforming Report

by Keith Brown, President & Owner, Siena Group

The Search for the “Perfect Candidate”

Voltaire famously observed that “perfect is the enemy of good.” When it comes to hiring, it may be even more accurate to say that perfect is the enemy of great.

Let’s be honest. Hiring is hard.

I don’t care if the market you live in is up or down. The thermoforming industry as a whole is fortunate to be diverse enough that we don’t typically see the same extreme swings as some other industries, but finding the right people remains challenging. Identifying candidates with the right technical skills, leadership abilities, and cultural fit – typically in some combination of those three – is difficult at best.

Throw in the most difficult piece of the puzzle – relocation – and you have an extraordinary hill to climb when seeking out new talent.

I’m confident that if you talk with most external niche recruiters, you will hear the same sentiment: frustration with clients seeking out the “perfect candidate.”

The ideal candidate may exist – but may not be available when you need them. There are trade-offs in the search process – the biggest of which is time. It is difficult to place an exact value on the lost opportunity that comes with an extended search, but the impact is real. The longer a critical role remains open, the more significant the impact becomes – especially with higher-level positions where leadership, revenue, and business decisions are directly affected.

As a hiring manager, you are likely opposed to hiring someone who is simply “good enough.” And I would agree with that sentiment. Nobody wants to make a critical hire and hope for the best.

The problem is perspective and expectations. We all have our own ideas of what makes a great candidate. We all have our perceptions of how well someone will align with the culture and needs of an organization. And we all want to choose someone who will make a meaningful impact for our team and the larger business.

The mistake occurs when we believe every single thing we are hoping to find in a candidate must be achieved before making a hiring decision. The reality is that there will always be some level of risk associated with hiring someone – whether you believe they are “perfect” or not.

By holding out for the ideal candidate, you may not only miss out on the opportunity to improve your team, increase efficiency, or drive business growth, but you may also miss out on high-potential talent who could make a significant impact over the long term.

The Cost of Waiting for “Perfect”

So what are hiring managers to do? The answer is not to lower the bar. It is to be clear on where the bar truly belongs.

For many hiring managers, compromise feels like settling. It isn’t. Compromise means understanding the difference between what is truly required and what is simply preferred.

You should never compromise on your must-haves – and that list is probably long. But where companies often get stuck is assuming that every preference, every “nice-to-have,” and every item on the wish list is equally critical. It is not.

Every role has must-haves. Every role also has preferences. Problems arise when those two lists become the same list.

This is not a new challenge. Forbes and others have written about the risk of companies chasing “perfection” instead of recognizing potential. An older Forbes article focused on how lengthy hiring processes can negatively impact organizations when they continue searching for the “perfect” candidate. One point from that article stood out: hiring managers may need to focus more on potential rather than perfection.

If a candidate checks every must-have, aligns with your culture, is willing to relocate, and has the potential to grow, don’t lose that opportunity because you’re still searching for one more nice-to-have. This is where flexibility makes sense. With strong potential in place, bringing someone on board today can deliver results much sooner.

In our experience, some of the strongest hires we’ve helped make were not candidates who checked every possible box on day one. They were the candidates who checked the critical boxes, brought the right attitude, and had the ability to grow into exceptional contributors.

I’ve seen this play out many times, especially when relocation is part of the equation. A company may begin a search with a very specific picture of the ideal candidate – a certain background, a certain amount of experience, and a willingness to move to their location.

Then a local candidate emerges who may not check every box on the original wish list, but brings strong technical skills, leadership ability, and the potential to grow. The temptation is to continue searching for the candidate who matches the original vision perfectly.

The reality is that the best hire is not always the person who matches the original vision perfectly. It may be the candidate who is already in the market – someone who has the right foundation, the right mindset, and the potential to make an immediate impact without the challenges that come with relocation.

Look Beyond Resumes and Interviews

Another factor that can influence a hiring manager’s perception of a candidate is how they evaluate resumes and interviews.

Trust me when I say that 80% of all resumes are pretty awful! Many are poorly structured, fail to highlight accomplishments, or make it difficult for a hiring manager to quickly understand the value a candidate brings.

Think about your own career. How many interviews have you actually had? For many professionals, the answer is probably only a handful. Many of the best opportunities come through relationships – a former colleague reaches out, someone in your network makes an introduction, or a conversation turns into an opportunity before a formal interview process ever begins.

And while we spend time at Siena Group coaching candidates on how to better communicate their skills, experiences, and accomplishments, the reality is that most experienced professionals do not spend their careers interviewing. Even strong candidates can struggle to be dynamic during a virtual interview. They may become nervous, provide longer-than-needed answers, or simply fail to clearly communicate what they bring to the table.

Great candidates do not always present themselves perfectly on paper or in an interview. The challenge for hiring managers is seeing beyond the initial presentation and recognizing potential.

Resumes and initial interviews are important – but they are only pieces of the puzzle.

I am not suggesting that hiring processes should become longer and more complicated to the point where you lose candidates or create unnecessary frustration. What I am suggesting is that hiring managers remember what it is like to be the candidate and recognize the anxiety that naturally exists during the interview process. Taking additional time to get to know someone in a different setting, especially during an on-site interview, is often worth the investment. It allows you to make a more informed decision and feel confident in that decision.

Yes, it requires more time, effort, and resources. But those resources are well spent. Eliminating a candidate too quickly means more time spent searching, more interviews, and more lost opportunity while the process starts over again.

This challenge is not unique to manufacturing or to specialized recruiting. There are several recent articles that highlight the same issue from both the hiring manager and candidate perspectives.

• One Forbes article discussed how highly qualified candidates can struggle to get interviews because companies sometimes make assumptions based on a resume rather than evaluating the full potential of the individual. The author’s advice was simple: “be careful about making assumptions.”
• Another SHRM article addressed the opposite side of the equation – the risk of hiring someone who appears exceptional on paper but does not deliver once they are in the role. A great resume, impressive credentials, and polished interviews do not always translate into success.
• And another SHRM article reinforced what recruiters have long known: the best hiring outcomes happen when recruiters and hiring managers work together as strategic partners, not when recruiting becomes a transactional process.

Frankly, this is where the right recruiting partner can add significant value. The best recruiters do more than provide resumes – they bring market knowledge, perspective, and insight into what is realistic in the current talent landscape. They help hiring managers separate the true must-haves from the preferences that may be limiting the search.

After more than a decade focused exclusively on thermoforming talent, I’ve learned that the best candidate is not always the one who looks best on paper – it’s the one who can make the biggest impact in the right environment.

When companies hold out for a mythical ‘unicorn’ candidate who checks every box, the process often becomes longer, more complicated, and less effective.

The Opportunity You May Be Missing

Hiring has never been about eliminating every ounce of risk. It has always been about making the best decision with the information you have.

The companies that consistently make great hires are not the ones who find candidates who check every conceivable box. They are the ones who know which boxes truly matter, recognize potential when they see it, and are willing to act when the right opportunity presents itself.

Every hiring decision involves judgment. Every hiring decision involves risk. The goal isn’t to eliminate either one.

• Know your must-haves.
• Be honest about your preferences.
• Look beyond the resume and the interview.
• Recognize potential when you see it.

Perfect candidates may exist. But waiting for perfection often comes at a cost that is far greater than most organizations realize.

Don’t let the pursuit of perfection cause you to miss a great hire.

At Siena Group, we are your Thermoforming Talent Partner! We’re here to help in any and every way possible! With more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing, hiring & recruiting talent, we bring a greater understanding of the companies we partner with and the candidates we pursue. Let’s Strengthen Your Search!