Focusing on Growth Trajectory when Evaluating Résumés

Rarely does a candidate have perfect work history for a given job application, which means that rarely does a hiring team come across the perfect résumé.  If a role does not require a lot of personnel supervision, we advise our clients to be open to candidates that might not have a ton of leadership experience, but do show a positive growth trajectory.  Growth can happen in many forms, from coordinating more projects, to working in a bigger organization, to taking on new roles in the same organization.  Sometimes it can be helpful to have a small but well-focused set of supplemental questions that you ask candidates early on, around which you can get highly valuable, comparative data.  Rising leaders can sometimes be hard to spot, and you might have to tolerate a few gaps, jumps, or false starts on a résumé.  But if you find someone with room to grow, you just might find someone ready to take on a whole lot more in a few years — when it’s time to elevate that role to a more senior level.