What Hiring Teams Get Wrong About Ambition

Ambition: a word that should signal energy, drive, and growth potential yet too often, hiring teams misinterpret or even mistrust it.

In their article, “Ambition Isn’t a Dirty Word”, Harvard Business Review highlights how ambition gets unfairly judged, especially in environments where it’s viewed as self-serving or aggressive. In recruitment, these misunderstanding leads hiring teams to overlook talented individuals who are, in fact, quietly and sustainably ambitious.

From my experience as a recruiter, here’s what hiring teams consistently get wrong about ambition and how to change that.

They Equate Ambition with Aggressiveness

HBR reminds us that ambition doesn’t have to manifest as cutthroat behaviour or ego-driven leadership yet many hiring managers are drawn to candidates who “talk big,” assuming confidence equals drive.

What to do instead: Look for evidence of purpose-driven ambition. Does the candidate articulate long-term goals, growth plans, or a clear sense of contribution? Ambition isn’t about dominating the room it’s about direction.

They Penalize Quiet or Non-Linear Candidates

Harvard Business Review points out that ambitious people aren’t always the loudest in the room, likewise, candidates who’ve taken non-traditional career paths are sometimes unfairly dismissed. True ambition often looks like someone willing to take unconventional steps to develop themselves.

As recruiters, we need to advocate for candidates who:

• Took lateral moves to build skills.
• Pivoted industries to challenge themselves.
• Built careers through perseverance, not just promotions.

They Reward Burnout as “Hustle”

HBR warns against glamorizing overwork as ambition yet hiring teams sometimes favour candidates who brag about non-stop schedules. In reality, sustainable ambition is strategic not self-destructive.

Best practice: Ask how candidates’ recharge and grow. People investing in themselves for long-term goals are more likely to stay and contribute at a higher level.

They Focus on Past Opportunity, Not Potential

A lack of advancement in a previous role isn’t necessarily a lack of ambition. As HBR notes, ambitious individuals may be held back by restrictive environments, not their own lack of drive.

Advice to hiring managers: Focus on intent and initiative, not just outcomes. Did the candidate seek learning opportunities? Did they push for change even in challenging settings?

Redefining Ambition in Hiring

As HBR puts it, ambition is a “desire to achieve success on your own terms.” It’s personal, evolving, and often quiet. If hiring teams continue to mistake style for substance, they’ll keep missing out on high-potential hires.

At Corvus People, we encourage hiring managers to rethink what ambition looks like in candidates:

• Prioritise purpose and growth over bravado.
• Value resilience and learning journeys.
• Respect sustainable drive not burnout culture.

Because real ambition isn’t about looking impressive in an interview, it’s about consistently pursuing growth and helping your company grow too.

By Helen Cosgrove, Senior Recruiter at Corvus People

When the Role Can’t Hold the Candidate: Why Executive Hires Fail (and How to Get It Right)

We’ve all heard it before: “They looked perfect on paper.” The CV was impeccable, the interview was smooth, their experience, impressive, even enviable and yet, six months in, something’s not working.

The reason, the role simply couldn’t hold the candidate.

This is an increasingly common and costly issue at the senior and executive level. You secure a high-calibre leader, but the position itself lacks the scope, challenge or strategic alignment to keep them engaged. Before long, they’re restless, under-utilised or quietly plotting their next move.

The Real Cost of a Misaligned Hire

As Forbes’ The High Cost of a Bad Hire highlights, hiring mistakes aren’t just budget line items they derail strategic initiatives, drag down morale, and drain time and energy from the wider team. When the hire is senior, the ripple effect can spread across departments and reach all the way to board-level frustration.

But the root cause isn’t always the person. Often, it’s the role itself or more specifically, a mismatch between the position and the candidate’s capacity, pace or ambition.

Why Prestige Does Not Mean Equal Fit

It’s tempting to chase the big CV. Someone with a high-flying background, household-name employers and all the credentials but as Susan Pike Partners and 1EQ Consultants highlight, hiring for prestige without clearly defining what the role really requires often leads to misalignment.

Executives want to make an impact. If the role lacks challenge, influence or decision-making scope, they will outgrow it or lose interest entirely. A role that does not stretch and evolve becomes a cage instead of a platform.

The Hidden Reasons Executive Hires Fail

Loxo’s 7 Reasons Why Half of Executive Searches Fail digs deeper, pointing to issues like:

• Vague, shifting briefs
• Internal misalignment between decision-makers
• Over-reliance on gut feel instead of structured, evidence-based hiring

The result, mismatched expectations, poor integration and high churn at the most senior levels of the business.

Getting it Right: The Case for Clarity and Partnership

So what’s the solution? It isn’t just about finding stronger candidates it’s about building a stronger process from the very beginning, one that focuses on clarity, alignment and mutual fit.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Start with the “why,” not the wish list
What is the real challenge this hire is solving? What does success actually look like?

Design the role around outcomes, not titles
Think about the impact needed at 6, 12 and 18 months. Does the role truly allow for it?

Be honest about pace, politics and structure
A brilliant candidate can still struggle in a system that does not support or trust their leadership.

Partner closely with your recruiter
When your recruiter understands the job, the context, the culture and where the business is going, they become a strategic advisor not just a CV provider.

Too often, talented executives are placed in roles that were never truly set up for success. The result is frustration, misalignment, and ultimately, turnover. That’s why a more thoughtful approach to executive hiring is essential one that prioritises clarity, cultural fit, and long-term support from the start.

Organisations that take the time to define clear outcomes, assess both capability and behavioural fit, and build roles that can truly support high-performing leaders are far more likely to see those leaders stay, thrive, and deliver real impact.

Because great hires aren’t just qualified they’re energised and the right role doesn’t just attract them, it holds them, if it can’t, eventually, it won’t.

By Charlene Craig, Senior Recruiter at Corvus People