The candidate profile is critical because there is more to matching people to jobs than simply finding the right education, job experience and skill set. Two candidates may possess the same college degree, similar levels of professional experience and work skills that match the requirements of the job. But if the job requires an assertive decision maker, someone who embraces risks and thrives in a fast-paced environment, suddenly the two candidates may not appear so equal. One may function well in an environment that is more deliberative and predictable, making him inappropriate for the opening. The other may possess the quick-thinking, authoritative characteristics needed but may also show signs of being somewhat reckless.

No candidate is a perfect fit for any job. There are always gaps between the requirements of a job and the capabilities of even the best person hired to fill it. But an enlightened company will not wait until that person is on board to discover—and consequently be caught unaware by—those gaps.

An interviewing process that’s successful will determine where strong fits exist between a candidate and a job, and discern if there are gaps between a company’s needs and a candidate’s capabilities.

If there are gaps, the interviewing process should yield enough information about a candidate to determine if there is anything the company can do to bridge them or compensate for them. Possible solutions may be as simple as a candidate taking a college course or sitting down with another person in the company who can provide assistance and training. Many organizations make the mistake of engaging in wishful thinking when job candidates come to them with recognizable gaps. Hiring managers believe that when the person starts working at the job, he will adapt to its needs just by becoming acquainted with the organization’s culture. That rarely happens, and the company ends up shaking its finger at the new employee when it should be blaming itself.

Even in a tight labor market, a company is setting someone up for failure by hiring him when it knows of serious gaps between the candidate’s personality or skills and what the job requires. An enlightened company may go ahead and hire this person but should do so with a clear idea of options for filling the gaps, including shoring them up with other resources in the organization or redefining the job to fit the capabilities of the new hire. (This latter option should be undertaken with the understanding that some functions will have to be shifted elsewhere in the organization.)