ASAP Talent Services

Companies keep making the same hiring mistake.

By looking for the perfect candidate.

When they should be looking for the ALMOST perfect candidate.

A perfect candidate is 100% qualified.

Sounds great, right? Wrong.

Because if they've already done everything, there's no growth.

There's nothing new for THEM to learn.

They're bored before they even start.

They're already thinking:

"What's my next step ? How do I grow from here ?"

The almost perfect candidate is 80%-90% qualified.

That extra 10% ? That's growth.

That's why they want your role.

And that excitement translates into loyalty and long-term retention.

Plus, when you hire someone who's 90% qualified, you can often land them at the midpoint of your comp range instead of the top.

Because they're getting a growth opportunity. Maybe even a title raise.

So stop looking for perfect.

Look for 90% qualified with massive upside!

To separate good candidates from great ones. I use the 3 mini-stories framework (STAR - Situation, Task, Action, Result):

Three mini-stories.

That's all it takes to know if someone is great or just okay.

Here's the framework:

Tell me three things you're most proud of from the last 5 years.

Walk me through the situation, the challenge, what you did, and the result.

Make it measurable. Make it real.

Each story should take 2-3 minutes.

If they can't tell you three compelling stories with measurable outcomes?

They're not a top performer…

If they ramble for 10 minutes without getting to a result?

They're not a top performer…

If their stories are all about what their team did without explaining their specific contribution?

They're not a top performer…

Great candidates tell tight, compelling stories with clear challenges and measurable results.

This exercise separates rockstars from average performers.

Every. Single. Time.

Money is NOT the number one motivator for job changes.

Most people assume it is. They're wrong.

I've recruited executives for 20+ years. Here's what actually motivates people to change jobs (aside from money):

Career advancement. They're stuck. They want growth.

Culture fit. Their current environment is toxic or misaligned.

Quality of life. They're burned out. They want balance.

Location. They want to move closer to family or to a better city.

All of it depends on their life stage.

Are they single? Married? Kids?

Different priorities at different stages of their lives…

Money matters, sure. But it's rarely the primary driver.

Great recruiters figure out which bucket someone falls into.

We ask:

"What do you love about your current role?

What would you change?"

They tell us exactly what their dream job looks like.

Then we position opportunities to solve their specific problems.

That's how you close deals that last 2-3+ years.

P.S. If you lead every recruiting conversation with comp, you're missing what actually matters.

Only 30% of qualified talent is actively looking at your job postings.
Here's how to reach the other 70%:

If I took over hiring at any company tomorrow, I'd make two immediate changes.

First, I'd rewrite every job description with better titles and keyword-rich language. Not for candidates. For search algorithms and specialty recruiters.

Second, I'd stop using search firms for every role. That's a waste of money.
Search firms should be reserved for three scenarios:

1) Roles that need to be filled extremely quickly.
2) Critical positions where a bad hire would be catastrophic.
3) Searches where you need to reach passive talent - the 70% who aren't looking.

Here's what most companies miss: When you post a job, only active job seekers see it. That's 30% of your total market.

The other 70%? They're not on Indeed. They're not checking LinkedIn Jobs.
They're happily employed. And they need to be recruited.

That takes real work. Real outreach. Real selling.

You need someone willing to catch their attention and convince them that even though they weren't looking to move, this opportunity is worth it.

Stop treating all roles the same. Strategic hires require strategic recruiting. Passive talent requires active pursuit.