The Brief
I was originally engaged to support a growing commercial furniture consultancy with the appointment of an experienced Designer.
The requirement combined workplace design, furniture specification, client consultancy and project delivery. They needed someone commercially aware, confident working directly with clients and architects and with a genuine understanding of how furniture performs within a finished workplace.
The Candidate
I initially approached the successful candidate for the Designer position.
Her background was slightly unconventional for the original brief. She had over 15 years of experience across commercial furniture, workplace, hospitality and luxury interiors, with particular strengths in FF&E specification, furniture consultancy, procurement, supplier management and project delivery.
There was one obvious gap. Her AutoCAD capability wasn’t at the level expected of a traditional technical Designer.
Rather than discounting her profile, I felt the rest of her experience was too relevant to ignore.
Through my screening process, including detailed career conversations and a portfolio review, it became increasingly clear that her real value sat elsewhere. She had exceptional furniture knowledge, strong commercial acumen and the confidence to advise clients rather than simply respond to a design brief.
One example demonstrated this particularly well. On a workplace project, an internal designer had specified a meeting table and five chairs. From her knowledge of the products, the candidate immediately identified that the positioning of the table legs meant the five chairs physically wouldn’t work around it. She understood the dimensions, clearances and practical application of the furniture and was able to recommend a more appropriate solution.
That practical understanding became highly relevant to the wider needs of the business.
The Process
I presented her transparently as a wildcard rather than trying to position her as something she wasn’t.
The client understood from the outset that she wasn’t the strongest technical CAD Designer, but they could also see the value in her extensive manufacturer knowledge, specification expertise, commercial approach and ability to confidently consult with clients.
She impressed throughout the interview process.
Rather than forcing her profile into the vacancy we’d originally discussed, the conversations identified an opportunity that played much more naturally to her strengths.
The Result
The candidate was offered and accepted a permanent position as a Furniture Consultant.
What started as a search for a Designer ultimately resulted in the business hiring someone into a different position based on the strengths uncovered throughout the recruitment process.
For me, this placement is a good example of why recruitment shouldn’t simply be about matching keywords on a CV against a job description.
The candidate didn’t tick every box for the vacancy I originally approached her about. Had the process stopped there, she probably wouldn’t have been introduced.
Instead, understanding the candidate properly, being transparent about the gaps and recognising where her experience could add greater value resulted in the client creating the right opportunity around her strengths.
