The Power of Persistence

I just love a happy ending. One of the great emotional payoffs of this business is how darn happy people are when you help them land their “dream job”. It’s even sweeter when someone overcomes the odds.

I sent an offer letter last week to a young lady who first applied to a position back in June. Six months ago. She got the standard rejection letter, someone else was hired for the job, and that’s the end. Or was it…? For Ann, it wasn’t. She knew she wanted to work here. So she applied to another, similar position. No dice. Somehow she tracked me down and we had a phone conversation about her application. I thanked her for a applying and reviewed her application with her, ultimately letting her know that she just wasn’t a fit for this department. She was a close match, but the roles she was applying to (fortunately for us) we usually have a fairly easy time filling. We just didn’t need to settle for “close”.

Ann didn’t give up. As the team continued to grow, she continued applying to new roles and followed up with me every time. Finally she applied to a replacement position. One of our key finance people retired and the hiring manager was pulling her hair out not knowing how to replace this person. We got some good people in the mix, had a few successful interviews and settled on a top finalist. For some reason, the hiring manager just couldn’t pull the trigger. After a few frustrating days and a timely follow up phone call, I decided to present Ann. Not a dead on match, but “close”, plus she had been so incredibly pleasant in her persistence.

I presented Ann to the hiring manager thinking this would be the final step towards getting our #1 an offer. I explained how Ann had consistently checked in and always made a strong case for “why” she was a fit for us, without being pushy or argumentative. Sure, she was lacking in a couple of areas but if my manager didn’t want to make an offer to the “perfect” candidate (our top contender) then this was an alternative. To my surprise, she asked for an interview! A few days later Ann came in, met with the group manager and director. I doubt her car had even made it out of the parking lot before I got an email from my HM asking me to prepare a job offer.

You read that correctly – Ann was hired. Sure, it’s a one in a thousand type of success story… but one worth celebrating. Will every candidate who gets ahold of a recruiter’s phone number have the same result? Probably not. But it worked this time. Through her steady, consistent, and above all positive persistence, she made a believer out of me, and then the hiring managers. She starts next Monday and we can’t wait to welcome her to the Zones team.

Comment by Bill Schultz on January 5, 2012 at 5:55pm: That's great, Amy. I used to get that feeling when I worked with temporary staff who (some of them) were so grateful for the chance to work. Now, with these prima donnas I place, not so much.

Comment by Vikas Jain on January 5, 2012 at 6:10pm: Really great :)

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on January 5, 2012 at 7:56pm: LOL @Bill my tech recruiter feels your pain... :)

Comment by Bill Schultz on January 5, 2012 at 10:04pm: The good part is I don't feel the disappointment so much either.

Comment by Josue Chavez on January 6, 2012 at 9:24am: Wow, what a great read and an excellent way to start my day.

Comment by Raphael Fang on January 6, 2012 at 11:43am: This story is inspirational in so many levels. I hope that she stays with your organisation for many years to come.

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on January 6, 2012 at 12:53pm: Thanks everybody for the comments! :) It is a terrific story... I'm really excited for her and was floored when the manager came to a decision so quickly. It's truly a testament to the candidate's interview prep and ability to "sell" herself when she did score a meeting.

Comment by Cora Mae Lengeman on January 6, 2012 at 1:19pm: This story shows that the "perfect" candidate is not always the "best" candidate. Your hiring manager knew the perfect one wasn't quite what she wanted but Ann was able to show she was the best candidate! Great story! And one that happens often.

Comment by Sandra McCartt on January 6, 2012 at 1:23pm: Love this story. It's always interesting to me when we work so hard to find "the perfect" and the candidate who doesn't have all the bells sirens and whistles gets the offer. I have seen it happen many times so now i include those candidates when i refer with a note that says, "doesn't have all the skills on the laundry list but...has the attitude to succeed". My hiring managers always seem to repond very strongly and want to interview those candidates. Maybe has something to do with the attitudes of many current employees and perfect candidates while managers may just be looking for a breath of spring breeze of high energy trying.