“To be relative” is defined as “to be evaluated differently depending on a person’s perspective; to be incapable of definitive or absolute evaluation. Frequently in it’s all relative.”

Recruitment is at the deep end of the pool when it comes to perspective. The candidate rightly has an opinion, the client has a mindset, and the consultant will have a leaning, and yet the process leaves many feeling disappointed.

We recently recruited a CIO role for a client and had 164 unsuccessful candidates and one successful. Many of the unsuccessful candidates believe that they should have been on the right side of the equation. This example highlights the issue with running advertisements for roles in that the expression of interest can result in many disappointed individuals. The flip side can be argued that the right person, which is more important, is found.

We have all been there. We have all received that bad news. Our advice to those who haven’t been selected would be that it is all relative. Don’t lose faith in your abilities and that with a growth mindset you can become a virtuoso of anything if you try hard enough.

Science has proved that the genes of any two randomly different humans from widely different parts of the globe are 100% structurally the same, and at least 99.5% the same in the base pairs and non-functional repeats. So, the margin between success and failure is relatively small.

The term ‘the grass is greener’ is also relative. Don’t get me wrong; we make money from people changing jobs because they perceive the ‘grass to be greener’. Many articles write about the reasons why people want to move, whether that is for more money, change of tasks, career development, training and development, culture, poor management or it is just time for a change. I urge you to do your due diligence. Use a recruiter who will give you an honest appraisal of the new opportunity. Check other sources and ask questions in your interview about the before mentioned points to make sure you are well informed before making a life-changing decision. A good friend once told me, “the grass is greener because the shit is twice as deep”.

It’s all relative!