Low Expectations, Vastly Surpassed

     Did you catch Mike Taylor's post on his Online Recruitment blog about Paul Potts' appearance on American Idol?  Now, I'll be honest... I don't watch the show myself.  But Mike's post is alluring precisely because of the You-Tube video he planted in its center.  Wow, Paul Potts really can sing!!!

     Paul's video is nothing if not a master show piece in what I like to call "low expectations, vastly surpassed" or LEVS.  It's a bit like when your significant other strongly coerces you to go to a movie s/he'd like to see.  You have heard nothing but horrible reviews on it -- or just plain don't like the previews you've seen -- and are firmly convinced the time spent will be dismally worthless.  But alas, you emerge from the movie theater slapping your friend on the back and proclaiming, "That really was a great movie!" (This is exactly what happened to me, incidentally, when my husband drug me to see "Brother, Where Art Thou?")

     I wonder how often this LEVS phenomenon occurs in the recruiting world.  I know in my recruiting days I would occasionally meet a candidate for whom the resume was just plain underwhelming.  But out of sheer desperation to find some talent and fill the req, I'd reach out to contact the person.... AND then proceed to be completely blown away by their impressive talent and strong interviewing skills.  It's fair to say that my expectation bar was set pretty low.  Now, to be fair to the talent pool, there are plenty of really great candidates who don't write a stellar resume.  Of course, it can be hard to get to first base without a favorable first impression of the resume, an important step if one is to pull off the LEVS move.

     But on the other side of the fence, we in the recruiting world must ask ourselves how many candidates out there can talk about how they experienced the LEVS phenomenon during their job search.  Come on!  Who's got a story to tell in this regard?  Let's hear from you. 

Technorati tags:  first impressions, You-Tube, Paul Potts, recruiting and hiring

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