It's World Book Day 2025

World book day is here & having a 6 year old boy who loves to read, I often have my head in a children’s book – more so than I read my own choices! 

One of our favourites is “The Perfect Fit” by Naomi and James Jones which is about a triangle trying to find his place in a world of shapes! My son loves this book, as it highlights that we all have unique characteristics that stand out – with his unique characteristic (in his own words) being “a little bit crazy!”.  The story unfolds as the Triangle feels the odd one out whilst playing with groups of stars, then circles, then squares…he is searching for the other triangles. However, when he finds them, he discovers that he misses the other shapes and using the unique skills he has learnt from them.  The story concludes when all the shapes come together and fit together in a big colourful pattern. 

It has also got me thinking about how relevant the book is to how I recruit, and also encourage others to recruit within my team.  More than ever, we are now thinking outside the box to find talent for our clients – with candidate shortages getting harder and harder to navigate.  A client will often give you a specification for their “perfect fit” (their circle) to fill their vacancy and there are many times that there are no circles to be found anywhere.  We, as consultants and recruitment leaders are looking for unique triangles (often like the one in the book, who is determined & motivated to find somewhere they feel valued) that will fit the ethos of the organisation.  Those that will be willing to upskill, or work together with their team to get the job done to a good standard. Often these triangles will need to feel trusted and empowered by their consultants/managers to fulfil the role, as we do as recruiters by our organisations to recruit in this way. 

Attitude, resilience & determination can win over “The Perfect Fit”.