‼️News flash‼️:

Everyone who gets hired or promoted isn’t always the most qualified. Sometimes they are the most liked. Or they interview well; they vibe with the hiring manager; are perceived as the best fit for the team or organization.

There are a medley of reasons why one person is picked over someone else. And the reasons aren’t always obvious, quantifiable or even “fair.” Most hiring decisions need to be defensible e.g., the hiring manager can reasonably explain the hire if or when asked.

I’ve come to learn a number of valuable truths when it comes to business. Namely as it relates to hiring decisions. Most interviews actually take place well before there’s ever an opening. What do I mean by that?

I attended a conference in which an executive shared how they obtained their promotion. The individual mentioned that they received a phone call telling them that they were the new (insert C-suite executive title.) Surprised, the person asked about an interview. At which point they were told that they had been interviewing for the role all along. That people had been observing how they had handled their current position, and other successes they had achieved up until that point.

This story was instructive because it taught me to be mindful of my day to day deliverables. Sometimes a series of interviews and positive references can land you the job, however, more often it’s a collective body of work that can be the most influential determining factor. Additionally, how others experience you or regard your quality of work can also be instrumental in landing future opportunities.

Which leads to my next set of learnings. I remember doing a feature story about a successful business woman. She pointed out that most deals are not made in boardrooms or conference rooms. They’re made in more informal settings like golf courses, or other casual settings. She also said that people tend to hire who they know. Years of experience has allowed me to expand this point a bit by adding that people also hire who they like.

Sometimes it boils down to commonality and cliques. Who the hiring manager believes is most like them and will be the most loyal. Loyalty and likes are sometimes the only qualifications one needs.

If we’re fortunate, one day we’ll be on the receiving end of someone’s favor. In a perfect world, our experiences and skills will stand on their own merits and we get the jobs or promotions we deserve.

If not, we keep moving forward, casting our professional nets elsewhere thereby creating our own destiny, where our skills, talents, experience are in popular demand, and valued.