I interviewed five people for a role, three guys and two ladies. All of them finished with a 2:1 and had very impressive CVs. Apart from the oral interview, I decided to give them a small written test related to the job they applied for. On the form, there was also a section where they were to fill in some personal details, including their social media handles. When the test results came back, it was clear that all five were qualified, but four of them performed slightly better than one of the ladies. She didn’t fail, but in comparison, she scored the lowest among them. Her oral interview didn’t help much either. She appeared shy, lacked confidence, and her responses were brief. It’s not that she was unfit for the job, whoever I hired would still go through a full onboarding process where I would personally train them but truth be told, compared to the others, she was behind. On the day I was to make my final decision, I naturally ruled her out and focused on the remaining four candidates. The four of them were very impressive, articulate, confident, and skilled. Their test scores were almost identical, and each of them gave excellent oral interviews. It was honestly a tough choice. I couldn’t pick one over the others because they all seemed equally deserving. Out of curiosity, I decided to go through their social media handles. It wasn’t part of the formal assessment, but I just wanted to see how they carried themselves online. While checking, I remembered the fifth candidate. The shy girl I had ruled out earlier and decided to look her up too. That was when something shifted inside me. I found a tweet she had posted after the interview. She had written about our organization, praising us not in an exaggerated or flattering way, but with genuine admiration. She even spoke kindly about our cleaners and security guards, saying she loved how the company treated everyone with respect. She also admitted that she knew she had performed poorly in the oral interview, but she appreciated how patient I was with her. Then I came across a particular line that stopped me for a moment. She wrote, “Even though I’m almost certain I won’t be called back for the role, whoever gets to work with this organization will be really lucky because it’s a good place.” Reading that humbled me deeply. I can’t explain it, but I felt something warm. In that moment, I decided to take what I called “the easy way out.” Since I couldn’t choose between the four top candidates, I thought to myself, why not give her a chance? She was qualified, just not the best on paper. And even though training her might take more effort, I felt she genuinely deserved it. That was seven months ago. Today, she is one of the best people I’ve ever hired. She is hardworking, dedicated, and eager to learn. Every single day, she proves that what someone lacks in confidence can be made up for in attitude and heart. Would any of the other four candidates have been a better hire? I guess I would never know. But what I know for sure is that I’ve never regretted my decision. Sometimes, potential hides behind nervousness. Sometimes, the best people are the ones who don’t shine immediately, they just need someone to believe in them. I decided to share this because someone here, a recruiter, a business owner, or even a job seeker might find this information useful.