Hiring for the Role They'll Grow Into

I have been supporting an agency on reviewing some CVs for a new hire and it got me thinking about how people hire and how it can really become a sticking point down the line.

Most people are looking for:

"Someone who can hit the ground running."

And I get it. There's a gap in the team, clients need covering, and the pressure to fill the role quickly is real.

But here's what often happens next.

You hire for the role as it exists today. The person is capable, reliable, ticks the boxes. And then twelve months later, you're frustrated because they're not growing into the senior role you needed them to step into.

And the truth is, that's not entirely their fault.

Because the signals that predict future potential are different from the signals that prove current competency. And if you're only interviewing for one, you'll keep hiring people who may not have the skills to, and more than anything, don't have the desire or ambition to.

So what does future potential actually look like in a client services hire?

It's not always obvious on a CV. But in a conversation, it shows up clearly if you know what you're looking for.

• They think about the client's business, not just the task list. Someone with real potential will talk about what a client is trying to achieve, not just what was delivered.
• They spot risks and opportunities without being prompted. They notice when something is drifting before it becomes a problem. That instinct is hard to teach.
• They can connect delivery to commercial outcomes. Retention. Revenue. Margin. They understand that the work exists inside a business context, not in isolation.
• They take ownership and push conversations forward. They don't wait to be told. They move things on.
• They ask sharp questions. Even in the interview itself. The quality of someone's questions tells you a lot more about how they think than the quality of their rehearsed answers.

A few interview questions worth adding to your next process

• "Tell me about a time you improved an account, not just kept it running."
• "What would you want to know about a client before managing their account?"
• "How do you notice when an account is starting to drift?"
• "What does good commercial thinking look like in client services?"
• "How would you grow a small account into a larger one?"

These questions are designed to reveal whether someone thinks like an operator or like a future account leader.

The difference in the answers is usually very clear.

One thing to be honest about though

Hiring for potential only works when the person can also do the job in front of them. If the role needs someone productive from day one, over-hiring for future capability can create its own problems.

The best hires are both.

Someone who can manage accounts well now, and who shows the curiosity, commercial awareness and ownership that will take them further.

That combination exists. You just have to know what questions to ask to find it.

So here's something worth reflecting on this week

When you next hire into client services, ask yourself honestly:

Am I hiring for who this person is today, or who they could become in eighteen months?

Because the strongest client services teams aren't built on experience alone.

They're built on the right potential, pointed in the right direction.

Jo x