re: #6 Eclectic Cyborg

Remember: It’s not about who is best qualified, it’s about who the decision maker thinks is the best “fit”. If that happens to be an inexperienced yet rather attractive woman instead of a man who’s been in the business for 20 years and has a great track record, so be it.

I’ve actually been a part of the hiring/interview process from the employer side. The “best fit” thing is real in employment because someone can be immensely qualified but be an asshole that won’t function well within the group dynamic that the employer has developed. Big picture, it’s often better to pass on that “more qualified” person in order to save the overall productivity of the group.

And that’s often the case when the qualifications are close. Candidate A might check off 9 of 10 boxes but personality-wise doesn’t fit, while Candidate B only checks 7 of 10 boxes but fits better within the company’s dynamic.

The problem here, though, is that one candidate has checked of 8 of 10 boxes while the other has checked off 2 of 10.