Building a great team isn’t simply about finding someone who ticks every box on a job description. Although experience and qualifications are important, the strongest teams are usually built by bringing together people with the right combination of skills, personality, potential, ambition and shared values.

However, finding that combination isn’t always straightforward.

Today’s recruitment market gives employers access to more candidates than ever before, particularly as technology and AI continue to change the way people search and apply for jobs. Nevertheless, having more applications doesn’t necessarily mean having more suitable candidates, which is why a successful recruitment strategy needs to focus on quality rather than quantity.

At i2i Recruitment, we’ve spent more than 20 years helping businesses find the right people, and during that time we’ve learned that there is no single secret ingredient to making a great hire. Instead, successful recruitment comes from understanding the role, the business and, most importantly, the people involved.

So, what exactly goes into the recipe for building the right team?

1. Start with the skills you actually need

Every successful hire needs a strong foundation and, naturally, that starts with understanding the skills your business actually needs.

However, employers can sometimes make the mistake of creating a long list of requirements based on the person who previously held the position, or on what they believe the ideal candidate should look like. As a result, talented people with transferable skills or slightly different career paths can easily be overlooked.

This is where skills-based hiring can make a real difference.

Rather than focusing entirely on previous job titles, qualifications or the number of years somebody has spent in a similar position, skills-based recruitment considers what a candidate can actually do and how those abilities could translate into the role you’re recruiting for.

Therefore, before beginning the hiring process, it is worth separating the skills that are genuinely essential from those that could realistically be developed through training and experience.

For example, does someone really need five years of experience, or do they simply need to demonstrate that they can perform the key responsibilities confidently? Similarly, does a particular qualification genuinely determine whether somebody will succeed, or could relevant experience and transferable skills provide the same foundation?

By thinking about recruitment in this way, businesses can widen their talent pool while still maintaining high standards and, importantly, avoid missing people who could become fantastic long-term employees.

2. Add plenty of personality

Of course, skills matter; however, anyone who has built or managed a team knows that technical ability is only one part of what makes somebody great to work with.

A CV might tell you where somebody has worked, what they studied and what responsibilities they have previously held, but it cannot completely show you how that person communicates, responds to challenges, works alongside others or approaches their day-to-day responsibilities.

That is why soft skills continue to play such an important role in recruitment.

Communication, adaptability, problem-solving, teamwork and emotional intelligence can all have a significant impact on how successfully somebody performs within a team. Furthermore, as technology and AI become increasingly embedded within the workplace, human skills such as communication and relationship-building remain incredibly valuable.

This is also why we believe recruitment should involve actually getting to know people.

At i2i, we speak to our candidates so that we can understand the person behind the application, including what motivates them, what they want from their next opportunity and what kind of working environment will allow them to perform at their best.

After all, sometimes the most important information about a candidate isn’t written on their CV.

3. Mix in the right team and culture fit

When somebody leaves a business, it can be tempting to immediately focus on filling the empty position; however, recruitment is about much more than replacing one employee with another.

You’re introducing a new person into an existing team, which means it is important to consider how that individual will work alongside the people who are already there.

Every workplace has its own environment, communication style and way of doing things. Therefore, understanding your company culture, leadership style and existing team dynamics can help you identify candidates who are more likely to feel comfortable, contribute positively and stay with the business in the long term.

However, culture fit should never mean hiring identical personalities.

In fact, bringing together people with different perspectives, backgrounds, experiences and ways of thinking can strengthen a team considerably. The aim is not to find somebody who is exactly like everyone else; instead, it is about finding somebody whose values and working style can complement the team while also bringing something new to it.

Importantly, this works both ways.

Candidates are assessing your company at the same time that you are assessing them, so your values, leadership, flexibility, progression opportunities and workplace culture can all influence whether the right person chooses to join your business.

Ultimately, the strongest recruitment partnerships are the ones where the opportunity works for both sides.

4. Don’t forget the potential to grow

The perfect candidate might not tick every box.

Imagine two candidates.

One has almost every piece of experience listed in your job description; however, they have little interest in developing beyond the immediate responsibilities of the role.

The other has around 80% of the experience you originally asked for, but they are curious, motivated, adaptable and genuinely excited about developing within your organisation.

Who has more potential to become the better long-term hire?

There isn’t always one simple answer, which is precisely why recruitment needs a human approach.

Hiring based on skills and potential means considering what somebody could bring to your business in the future, rather than assessing them solely on what they have already done.

As a result, employers can uncover candidates who might otherwise have been missed during a traditional CV screening process.

Furthermore, hiring people with room to develop can support employee engagement and retention because candidates are able to see a future within the organisation rather than viewing the position as simply their next job.

So, when you’re reviewing your next shortlist, it can be helpful to ask a slightly different question: rather than “Does this person have everything we asked for?”, consider “Could this person become exactly what our team needs?”

5. Think about the team you need tomorrow

Good recruitment should support your wider workforce strategy

Recruitment often begins when somebody leaves, a new position is created or workloads suddenly become difficult to manage. However, businesses that think about their future talent needs before reaching that point can put themselves in a much stronger position.

This is where workforce planning becomes particularly important.

For example, if your business plans to expand into a new market, introduce new technology or grow a particular department over the next few years, the skills you need today might look very different from those you will need tomorrow.

Therefore, when hiring somebody new, it can be valuable to consider not only whether they can perform the current role, but also whether their skills and ambitions align with the direction in which the business is heading.

At the same time, recruitment doesn’t always have to mean looking externally. Developing and upskilling existing employees can also help businesses address skills gaps while providing valuable progression opportunities for their current team.

Consequently, a strong recruitment strategy should consider both sides: when should you develop the people you already have, and when would bringing somebody new into the business add the skills, capacity or perspective the team needs?

6. Make candidate experience part of the recipe

It is easy to think that the recruitment process is primarily about candidates impressing employers; however, businesses are making an impression on candidates throughout the process too.

From the first job advert to the final interview, every interaction contributes to the overall candidate experience and, consequently, to your employer brand.

Clear communication, realistic job descriptions, reasonable interview processes and regular updates can all make candidates feel that their time and effort are valued.

On the other hand, lengthy application forms, unclear expectations or weeks of silence between interviews can quickly change how somebody feels about an organisation.

This matters even when you don’t ultimately hire that person.

A candidate who has had a positive experience may apply again in the future, recommend your organisation to somebody else or simply leave the process with a positive impression of your brand.

Therefore, treating candidates like people rather than applications isn’t simply the right thing to do; it can also support your long-term recruitment strategy.

7. Use technology, but don’t lose the human touch

AI is changing recruitment, but people still matter. There is no ignoring the impact that AI in recruitment is having on the way businesses attract, screen and communicate with candidates.

Used effectively, recruitment technology and AI can help businesses work more efficiently, manage larger numbers of applications and reduce time spent on repetitive administrative tasks. As a result, recruiters can potentially spend more time on the parts of recruitment where human judgement and relationships really matter.

However, technology shouldn’t replace genuine conversations.

A system might identify that somebody has particular keywords on their CV, but it might not recognise the transferable experience that makes them an unexpectedly strong candidate. Similarly, technology can analyse information about an applicant, but understanding their motivations, personality and ambitions often requires a real conversation.

Sometimes, it is the conversation where somebody mentions a skill that wasn’t on their CV.

Sometimes, it is understanding what a hiring manager really means when they describe the person their team needs.

And sometimes, it is simply recognising that two people should meet.

Therefore, while technology will continue to shape the future of recruitment, we believe the strongest recruitment processes will combine smarter technology with something much simpler: people who are good at understanding people.

The final ingredient? Knowing people.

Ultimately, there isn’t one perfect formula for building a successful team because every organisation, vacancy and candidate is different.

The right recruitment strategy is about finding the balance between skills and potential, experience and personality, technology and human judgement, as well as understanding what both the employer and candidate need from the relationship.

That is where working with the right recruitment partner can make a difference.

At i2i Recruitment, we’ve been helping businesses across Gloucestershire build their teams for more than 20 years and, during that time, we’ve developed relationships with thousands of candidates and employers.

We don’t believe great recruitment is simply about sending as many CVs as possible.

Instead, we take the time to understand the role you’re recruiting for, the team that person will be joining and the type of individual who is most likely to succeed within your business. At the same time, we get to know our candidates, including their skills, motivations and ambitions, so that we can create introductions that make sense for both sides.

Because, when it comes down to it, we’re good with people.

And bringing the right people together is what we do.

Looking for the next ingredient in your team?

Whether you’re replacing a key member of staff, growing an entire department or struggling to find the right candidates in a crowded recruitment market, our team would love to hear from you.

Tell us about your business, your team and the person you’re looking for, and let’s start building the right team together.