One of the most frustrating things you can face as a recruiter is someone who presents themselves well, is interested in your company, gets your hopes up, and
then comes in and bricks their interview. When you think you have someone who's a fit but they just don't have the chops, it can leave you dejected and annoyed. But there's a corollary to this problem not so much frustrating as baffling: what do you do when you get a bright, motivated, 'A' Player who just doesn't fit any of your open roles?
Put simply, try to hire them anyway. People don't exist in the cookie cutter shape of your contrived job descriptions, and even if they did you'd only be hiring someone with the potential to fill solely that role. Finding someone with the wattage to make a difference is rare, and if they're talented beyond the specific job requirements, they have the true potential to grow into something bigger and more useful to your organization.
Be Inventive
If they're not a perfect fit, you may need to get creative and help design a role that can best take advantage of their skills. Here's where having constant communication with your hiring managers will pay off: you'll have a much more intimate understanding of your organization's needs, and will be able to envision an area your candidate can slide into and immediately provide value. If you truly want someone to make a difference, put them in a place where they can exhibit their skill, and get out of their way.
Don't Overlook Specialists
Obviously, pulling the offer letter trigger is not the be all end all in the event of coming across an all-star who is only tangentially related to a role. If you're looking for a Salesforce Admin, you're going to need someone who has spent the last 5 years living and breathing the tool. If a role has truly esoteric must-haves, you're going to need a specialist.
Get the Best, Then Sort Them Out
In a recent episode of our podcast, Matt Charney used the example of Kentucky basketball to make the point of the above header. Coach Calipari doesn't say "We already have one All-American Point Guard, we don't need another." rather, he just gets the absolute best talent he can, and then works them into his system. You should always be hiring A players, so don't stop just because they don't check every single box. Ideally, this is how you should fill your organization: find the most talented people you can, regardless of how perfectly they align with your imagined ideal candidate.
Refer Madness
I will concede that it won't make sense to bring this person on board 100% of the time. In the case where no matter how great the candidate is, you just can't swing a nondescript full time offer, be forward and transparent about the happenstance. Played right, this will still be a flattering revelation to the candidate, and since they're presumably warm and fuzzy on your company, they may be open to referring their own contacts. Lastly, consider keeping them in a consultative role with some of your team members, so you might still glean some of their expertise. This way, you can start building a relationship and work towards bringing them on full-time down the road.
