Do I employ someone who is too good for the job?

Am keeping a shortlist of candidates back in reserve, just in case.

The chosen employees will join my sales and customer-service team, all of whom are on a six-month Apprentice-style “competition course”, not only to keep their own jobs but also for one of them to become overall sales and customer-service manager. 

One of the applicants for the role was a very experienced area sales manager, who has had enough of travel and wants to work locally, and is therefore looking at lower level jobs. Clearly, this applicant would be a tremendous addition to any team and would be a very strong candidate for the overall management role. As a company, we would be plain crazy to overlook them. On the other hand, they are so strong, they will undoubtedly throw the balance of the existing team. We would also have to wait another month before they could join us.

Decamp to discuss with my son, who acts as a sounding board, and Second-in-Charge (who, although currently off sick, must still be consulted on major decisions). Both advise the same thing: given my “all-or-nothing” expansion plan, the strong applicant would, indeed, be too good to pass up. I think they’re right – so I make the job offer and now wait and see if, faced with the reality, the candidate really does chose a change of lifestyle over a large wage packet.

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