The First Interview Is Not a Warmup. It Might Be Your Best Candidate.
- Philip Lamb
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
I Have Been a Recruiter for 30 Years. This Mistake Never Goes Away.
I have been a recruiter for 30 years. And one of the most common mistakes I watch companies make costs them nothing to fix and everything to ignore.
They pass on the best candidate they interviewed because they met them first.
How It Happens Every Time
It happens the same way every time. The search starts. The first candidate comes in. They are strong. The hiring manager is interested but not ready to decide. There are more interviews scheduled. More people to see. It feels too early to commit.
So they move on.
By the End, the First One Is a Blur
By the time they get to interview five or six they have nothing left to compare to. The early candidates are a blur. The first one especially. They met that person when they were still figuring out what they were looking for. It felt like a warmup round.
It was not a warmup. That was your hire.
What It Actually Costs You
I have seen this play out more times than I can count. The company finishes the process, feels underwhelmed by the later candidates, and goes back to look at the first person. Sometimes they are still available. Often they are not. They accepted something else two weeks ago because they read the silence correctly.
The Fix Is Simple
Treat every interview like it might be the last one worth having. Walk in prepared. Take notes on what specifically impressed you. Write down what questions you still have. Score them against your criteria before the next one starts.
Do not rely on memory. Memory is not neutral. It favors recency. The candidate you saw yesterday will always feel more vivid than the one you saw three weeks ago, regardless of who was actually stronger.
What the Best Hiring Processes Have in Common
The best hiring processes I have ever seen treat the first interview with the same seriousness as the final one. Because sometimes they are the same interview. You just do not know it yet.
If You Keep Coming Back to Someone, Trust That Instinct
If you are running a search right now and you have a candidate from early in the process you keep coming back to, that instinct is probably right. Go back. Have the conversation. Find out if they are still available.
The one that got away is usually the one you met too early and moved past too fast.
If you are ready to fill a senior role or want to talk through your search, reach out at prlinternational.com/contact
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