The Swipe Left Effect: Why the Perfect Candidate Doesn’t Exist
In the old days of recruiting, we had a name for the candidate who checks every single box in a long list of ideal experience and requirements: you’re hiring for “the purple squirrel.” And the important part of a purple squirrel is that nobody has ever seen one.
What this elusive hunt for purple squirrels has created is something I call “the swipe left effect.”
How The “Swipe Left Effect” Plays Out in Candidate Search
It usually goes like this: After a rigorous search and selection process, we present a slate of qualified candidates. The client interviews, and we discuss the two or three candidates they like best out of the first pool. They oftentimes like different things about each candidate.
In our debrief conversations with clients, we’ll often hear some version of this: “I wish I could just merge them into one person.”
So…what do we do? We go back out and recruit a second slate of highly qualified candidates. And the result doesn’t change much - the client likes a few things about this one and a few things about that one. The next two finalists have a different mix of the same strengths and the same imperfections. Round after round, the result is analysis paralysis.
We find ourselves in an endless cycle where a client negates all of their options looking for a candidate that does not exist.
The Hiring Pool Is Smaller Than You Think
I get it, this is a big hire. You want the best person you can possibly find. But in reality, there is a finite number of qualified and interested people in any market at any given time. And every requirement you add shrinks that number a little more. (Motivated to make a move, able to relocate, compensation needs, leadership style, and past experience specific mandate and demands of the job.)
Altogether, those qualities merge to describe a very small group of people. As a search firm, we can shake every tree and call everyone we can, but what we can’t do is manufacture candidates who don’t exist.
So when you’re looking at two strong finalists and neither one has everything, that isn’t a failed search, it’s the market telling you the truth about who is actually available, interested in your company, qualified to perform in the role, and within your compensation range.
What Swiping Left Actually Costs You
Here’s what clients don’t always see while they’re waiting for the next option. In my experience, rounds three, four, and five rarely produce a better hire than round one. Every week you spend looking for a mysterious “someone better,” the best candidates that you already have on the hook are active in the market and considering other exciting opportunities.
The swipe left effect doesn’t promise to find you a better candidate, but it will surely run out the clock on the ones you already have. (If this sounds familiar, it’s one of the three things I wrote about in While You Were Deliberating, They Took Another Offer.)
Avoid “Swiping Left” and Think About Your Tradeoffs
Stop asking, “Who is the perfect candidate?” And instead start asking, “Which tradeoffs are we willing to make?”
Every finalist (every single one!) comes with strengths, weaknesses, gaps, and limitations. The job of a good search partner is to help you see them clearly: what this person does exceptionally well, what they haven’t done yet, and and what competencies and experience actually matter in this role. To be clear, we are not advocating for lowering the hiring bar, rushing a hiring decision, or hiring someone you have real reservations or concerns about.
The goal is to fully understand the capabilities, competencies, and leadership potential of your candidate pool. Understand that there are always trade-offs, and that someone with 80-90% of what you need likely has the ability to thrive and perform in the role.
At the end of the day, you do have to trust your own judgment and trust the process. A strong process gets you to a good decision. But it won’t ever get you to a perfect decision, because perfect doesn’t exist. The right candidate is probably already in your pool… just stop swiping.
What is the swipe left effect in hiring?
The swipe left effect is the tendency to keep looking for a better candidate even when strong finalists are already in front of you. It leads to analysis paralysis, longer searches, and lost candidates who lose interest or accept other offers while the process drags.
Why does the perfect executive candidate not exist?
Every added requirement, such as relocation, compensation range, leadership style, and role-specific experience, narrows an already small pool of qualified, interested executives. Every candidate also has strengths and gaps. The realistic goal is the right candidate for your situation, not one with all the strengths and none of the weaknesses.
How do you choose between two strong finalists?
Compare them against the success profile defined at the start of the search rather than against each other’s individual strengths. Separate gaps (things a candidate hasn’t done yet) from risks (things that could cause the hire to fail), decide which tradeoffs you can accept, and plan how you’ll support the person after they join.
How many candidates should you interview for an executive role?
There is no magic number, but more rounds rarely mean a better hire. If the strongest candidates from your first slate are still strong, extending the search often costs you those candidates without improving the final outcome.
