I used to get the call. Sometimes before the role even existed.
I’d like to say it was because I was brilliant. Cutting edge. Unparalleled. But at the end of the day, I was just dependable. I delivered, I didn’t cause drama, I understood the brief, and I knew which coffee was the hiring manager’s.
But was I always the best person for the job? Probably not.
The easy option
There were others out there who were equally capable, possibly more capable, but they weren’t on the radar. They hadn’t been placed before. They didn’t have that nice little “already proven” tag next to their name.
I’d accidentally become the easy option: the “just plug them in and they’ll go” choice. And once that happens, it’s a cycle. You keep getting picked because you’ve been picked before. You tick the “seen it before” box that hiring managers quietly love.
Was that fair? No. Did it suit me at the time? Absolutely.
Now I’m on the other side
These days I’m the one doing the shortlisting, and the shoe is slightly too tight. I can see how easy it is to reach for the familiar, to favour the person you’ve already seen perform. It feels safe. Logical, even.
But I also know the danger: you end up giving someone the inside lane not because they’re better, but because they’re known. Part of my job now is to stop that bias from quietly steering decisions, and to give every applicant a genuine shot, not just the usual suspects.
Want a shortlist built on capability, not familiarity? Talk to Talexa.
