**This post is relevant for job seekers and organizations seeking employees alike.**
There is no magic bullet to finding the right job (or the right person). No website will instantly find you precisely the thing your soul has been searching for. Likewise, no headhunter will deliver exactly the right candidate for that hard-to-fill position.
When we try to rush the right fit, we take shortcuts that eliminate the human part of the job searching and hiring processes. We don't take the time to listen to our instincts, to our detriment.
I know this because I've tried to do things that way. You see, my tendencies are towards convenience and ease and simplicity and efficiency. I love a good template—a nice, well-thought-out cover letter that can just be altered ever so slightly for whichever job I am
applying for. A cut-and-paste solution for job descriptions where I can automate things as much as possible and move quickly.
Where did those approaches lead me?
In my early job searching, more than once, I sent a cover letter meant for one organization to a different one because I was too efficient and didn't take the time to learn about the organization I was applying to (or proofread before I hit send!).
In my recruiting work, I've missed nuances of positions and hired the wrong people. When I felt pressure to move quickly to fill an opening that was causing major pain for my colleagues, I sometimes missed red flags about the candidate (or the hiring manager).
From these experiences—learning the hard way, so you don't have to—there are three truths I've discovered about why it just takes time to find the right fit:
You have to take the time to think about what you really want and need. You can't rush that reflection and assessment. You have to be honest about it.
You have to carefully communicate what (or whom) you're looking for—to get the words together that truly capture what you have to offer, what a good fit would actually look and feel like.
You have to intentionally share those thoughts through your networks and evaluate what comes back against the anchor of what you want and need. It's a fundamentally iterative process that builds on itself if you are patient enough to listen for responses and feedback.
I know it can be the most frustrating thing to wait and listen when all you want is the right job—or the right person. But with the right mindset and approach, it can still move relatively quickly. (I promise!)