There are persistent imbalances with regard to the candidates that recruiters and hiring managers seek. No matter how you swing it, they are one of two options: the perfect candidate versus the right candidate.

However, there is a third option that we may not have consciously considered, particularly with positions that have been recently vacated, due to resignation, promotion, etc.

That third option: a carbon copy of the person who had previously filled that role.

I came across a position in the communications department of my current company. Given my education in English and my experience in journalism and marketing writing pre-pandemic, I was thrilled to apply.

But it wasn’t meant to be. The recruiter informed me that they were looking for candidates with more specific experience, and forwarded the LinkedIn profile of the person leaving the position for a new role at the company, believing it would be helpful for me to see the experience that person had when she was first hired.

Looking back now, I can understand why she forwarded the profile. Sharing the story of others’ rise through the ranks can be inspiring, and allow aspiring professionals an outline of options, methods, or ideas to employ to get to where they want to be with that next step in their career.

However, it can backfire. I would particularly not recommend this practice because, in my opinion, it’s poor communication, which is one of the most important qualities of a successful recruiter. Sharing the LinkedIn profile in this manner can very easily be interpreted as wanting only candidates with exactly these credentials and qualities, rather than seeking the right candidate to foster growth for both parties.

A perpetual issue that seems to continue to plague recruiting and retention is how companies are still pursuing the perfect candidate, without understanding that the perfect candidate simply does not exist. Billie Keita is a certified ScrumMaster and PMI Project Management Professional who has over 10 years of experience in handling complex software development projects across Europe and Africa, and even she believes companies need to stop the treasure hunt for the perfect candidate in their recruiting.

“Many enterprises overlook great candidates, thinking of landing at a ‘perfect candidate’,” she writes in the article 6 Reasons Why Companies Fail to Hire Right Candidates? “Remember every candidate doesn’t fulfill job requirements and thus gets rejected. At times, the job requirements list might be unrealistic and quickly you will have to go through your applicant pipeline. Just forget about the word “perfect,” instead look for the candidates who might turn into great employees shortly by focusing on their strengths rather than their weaknesses.”

In addition to purging the word “perfect” from their keywords, recruiters need to continue to exercise effective communication and analysis of the candidates and clients they work with. As mentioned before, I understand the reason a recruiter may feel that sharing the LinkedIn profile of the person vacating a position may be helpful. But it doesn’t replace effectively communicating the specific expectations for the position, or providing relevant guidance going forward. It even shows that the recruiter did not even review the candidate’s credentials to see how that person’s experience and skills relate to the position’s duties.

For recruiters, wreckless communication attempts such as this are how you miss opportunities: you lose your leads and frustrate your candidates and clients. It can be even worse if it’s an internal candidate that you have been working with for several years who is trying to move further up and deeper within the company; it can lead to a falling out in the relationship and reflect poorly on your job as a recruiter!

Be dedicated in your approach and employ active listening skills to stay on the same page with both your candidates and the clients whose jobs you are trying to fill. The hiring process is already time-consuming. Don’t cut corners: pay close attention to every detail between the job description and your candidates. If you do, you’ll miss out on talented candidates, or deliver poorly fitting candidates to your clients.

You get out what you put in as a recruiter. Don’t be lazy.

Be dedicated.