The Ones that Got Away...

This post explores the candidates that you want to hire, but for a number of reasons, you just can't make it happen. How do you deal with the candidates that you couldn't lock down?

Carter Cathey

11/26/20251 min read

Have you ever had candidates you wanted to hire but couldn't make it happen? The ones that got away...

For me, these often include individuals with immense raw talent but minimal experience. They would have needed time to develop, which my team and I just didn't have to offer.

I once interviewed a veteran whose story resonated with me. He exhibited a strong work ethic, was incredibly teachable, and had a high desire to succeed.

I also met a candidate who spent the first half of his life in the ministry. While he lacked applicable professional experience, he had great intangibles.

Another candidate was a woman who had children right after college and had never held a professional job. With her kids now in college, she was eager to return to the workforce. She was smart, funny, and demonstrated a strong understanding of hard work and getting things done.

What about you? Do you think about past candidates and wonder what could have been? Have you followed any of them and seen them achieve great success?

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About Carter Cathey

Carter Cathey is a sales and revenue leader with more than 20 years of experience helping market research, technology, and private-equity-backed businesses scale revenue, improve operations, and build predictable growth systems.

Throughout his career, he has led sales transformation initiatives, pricing strategy projects, subscription business model transitions, operational redesign efforts, and commercial growth programs.

He writes about leadership, organizational design, business systems, data-driven decision making, and the challenges companies face as they scale.

Learn more about Carter Cathey