When the Right Role Comes Along
Missed the role? Stay connected. Learn how recruiters value persistence, transferable skills, and passion in today’s evolving job market.
The star gymnast nears the end of her balance beam routine and performs her famous dismount. She falters on the landing. Good thing the judges will give her a second chance.
Not.
While athletes will typically have just one shot (or a few, at most) at winning a medal at the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the workforce behind the international spectacle represents a unique space when it comes to job opportunities. With LA28 scaling up to approximately 5,000 employees over the next two years, recruiters and candidates alike make a point of staying in touch. “We can’t hire every single individual for the time being,” says Roselle Roseta, a Korn Ferry recruiter supporting LA28, “but hiring is ongoing, so don’t look at this as a closed door.”
Although the scenarios may differ, workers applying for corporate roles in today’s tough job market may be able to pick up some lessons here. The door doesn’t close, experts say, when candidates don’t get hired for the first job—as long as they and the firm stay in touch.
LA28 is, of course, an example of accelerated hiring. Korn Ferry’s Andrea Peters, an executive recruiter in the RPO practice and a recruiter for LA28, was tasked with hiring the senior vice president of transportation. Once that position was filled, she continued to support the buildout of the transportation leadership team. Among the possible candidates? One who didn't have the right experience for a different senior role but was a great fit for a role on this team. “We stayed in touch, and when other positions came up, we reached out,” Peters said.
The door doesn’t close, experts say, when candidates don’t get hired for the first job—as long as they and the firm stay in touch.
Emphasizing transferable skills is part of what helps LA28 recruiters sift through candidates. Eric Novello, a Korn Ferry recruiter, is currently hiring a manager to oversee the torchbearers for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games as they weave their way across the country. He acknowledges that the likelihood is slim that people applying for the role actually have a torchbearer credential on their résumé.“This person might not have managed a bunch of torchbearers, but maybe they’ve managed a bunch of people helping with other large-scale events,” he says. “It’s about looking for what’s clickable and can be brought into the realm of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
For many recruiters, the real test for whether a candidate should be interviewed for a different role may be their motivation above and beyond the job description. After all, star gymnasts didn’t fall in love with gymnastics the day they won their first medal; they fell in love with it long before. And for Novello, that’s the kind of person LA28 is looking for. “If they’re inspired by a love of the Games, you’re likely going to have a great candidate,” he says. “They’ll likely be a good fit.”
Learn how we’re helping build the talent infrastructure for one of the world’s largest sporting events.
