Taking the Best of Both Worlds: The Middle Is the Key to Success

You Can’t Automate Chemistry 

It all started with a string of “almosts.” I was working with a biotech client—sharp team, innovative tech, and a clear sense of what they needed in a hire. They weren’t winging it. They had a solid job description, a defined scope, and a thoughtful plan. They were leaning heavily on AI, using it to sift through a high volume of resumes and generate sharp shortlists fast. 

And still, offers weren’t landing. Three strong offers, none of them accepted. 

That’s when they brought me in. Not in panic, not in crisis. Just recognizing that something wasn’t clicking—and wanting to dig deeper. 

Now, let me be clear: I’m not a Luddite. I love what AI brings to the table. The speed. The efficiency. The way it cuts through the noise. But what I’ve learned, over and over again, is that you can’t automate chemistry. You can’t replace the subtle alchemy that happens when you really get to know someone—their fears, their motivations, their actual must-haves versus the fluff they add to look good on paper. 

AI Finds People, But It Doesn’t Understand Them 

The problem isn’t that AI finds the wrong candidates. In fact, it often finds the right ones, at least on the surface. It knows how to look for matching keywords, job history, and maybe even inferred skills. But it doesn’t know how to interpret the unsaid. It can’t sit in a room and hear someone pause when talking about their current job. It doesn’t catch that moment of hesitation when they say they’re open to relocation. And it certainly doesn’t probe deeper to find out that “open” actually means “if the stars align and my partner’s job transfers too.” 

AI finds people. But it doesn’t understand them. 

And that’s where things start to unravel. Because hiring isn’t just a checkbox exercise. It’s personal. It’s emotional. It’s about fit. Not just “do you fit the job,” but “does the job fit your life?” 

The Black Hole Between Identification and Offer 

One of the most overlooked stages in hiring is the middle—the vast space between identifying a candidate and making an offer. That’s where the real work happens. Or at least, that’s where it should happen. 

These days, too many teams skip it entirely. They act like finding the right person is a finish line, not a starting point. They think, “We found them. Let’s offer.” No conversation about family dynamics. No exploration of career trajectory. No digging into what success looks like for that individual. 

And so the offers go out into the void—into the black hole that exists when you confuse speed with success. 

What happened here is a textbook example. The hiring manager came to me after three failed offers and said, “We’re not sure what’s going wrong.” After one conversation, I knew exactly what was missing. 

The Swan Group Rule, No Guesswork Offers 

Here’s something we live by at The Swan Group: Nobody gets an offer from one of our clients unless I am 100% sure they’re going to accept it. 

That means I’m asking questions from the very first conversation that most recruiters overlook or rush through. What are your actual needs? Not your wishlist. What’s non-negotiable? What would make you say no, even if the salary was perfect? What’s your spouse thinking? What’s your boss thinking? What’s your gut telling you? 

By the time an offer goes out, I know the answer. And in many cases, I know whether the number will be a “yes,” a “maybe,” or a “no,” and I communicate that to my client. That’s not a gut feeling. That’s diligence. That’s living in the middle. 

When I finally filled that role, it took six weeks. Not because I had some secret list of better candidates. Frankly, most of us recruiters are pulling from similar pools. It’s what I did between the first call and the offer that made the difference. 

When Tech Needs a Translator 

Something else I’ve learned over the years, especially in IT and biotech, is that the best technologists aren’t just the ones with the sharpest skills. They’re the ones who can talk about business outcomes. 

I once worked with a guy who could explain the commercial delivery model of a pharmaceutical product in such detail that my IQ would go up just listening to him. It wasn’t until the last five minutes of our conversation that he’d even mention the tech. Why? Because he understood that tech is an enabler. Not the hero. 

You know who gets promoted? The ones who know how to communicate. The ones who can sit in a boardroom, tell a story, and connect dots between IT systems and strategic goals. 

AI can’t coach someone on how to read a room. It can’t tell you when to speak up in a meeting and when to stay quiet. And it certainly can’t help you develop executive presence. 

That’s what holds people back from promotions, by the way. It’s not usually the skills. It’s the ability to speak the right language at the right time to the right people. 

My Daughter, the Data Scientist 

My daughter recently graduated with a degree in computer science, focused on data science. She’s worked in analytics roles, selling data to AI firms. She’s smart—way smarter than me in a lot of ways. 

But the advice I’ve given her echoes everything I’ve learned in 25 years of recruiting: Your value isn’t in what you can do. It’s in how well you understand the people you’re doing it for. 

Don’t be the person who just writes code. Be the person who understands how that code solves a real business problem. Be the one they want in the meeting. The one they trust to explain things to non-tech folks. The bridge. 

That’s where careers get made. And that’s where AI can’t follow.

The Case for Relentless Communication 

This isn’t just about candidates either. The communication rule goes both ways. I tell companies all the time: If you’re holding your cards too close to your vest, you’re losing the game. You’re not protecting a secret strategy; you’re just making it harder for the right person to say yes. 

We had a hiring manager once who didn’t want to reveal too much during the interview process. “We don’t want to give away the farm,” he said. But here’s the thing—candidates are interviewing you, too. If you don’t give them enough to work with, they’ll walk. 

That’s why I stay in touch every step of the way. Even when there’s nothing new to report, I call. Just to say, “No update yet, but we’re still on track.” Because silence breeds doubt. And doubt kills offers. 

Lessons from My Mom: Close with Clarity 

The greatest closer I ever knew was my mom. She wasn’t recruiting, but she might as well have been. She understood people. She knew how to listen and synthesize, and make both sides feel heard. 

She always said, “Get to the offer knowing it’s the right one for both sides. Or don’t bother.” 

That’s the ethos I’ve built my business around. Needs and wants, clearly defined. Motivations understood. No smoke. No mirrors. Just alignment. 

The Marathon Mindset 

My daughter recently ran the Boston Marathon. She finished with a time of 3:18, even after her calf locked up halfway through. She wants to go sub-three next year. 

Why do I bring that up? 

Because hiring is a marathon. A lot of recruiters run it like a sprint. They rush to get names in front of hiring managers. They skip the middle. They collapse at the finish line, wondering why their candidate never showed up on day one. 

But if you pace it right—if you do the legwork, if you stay in touch, if you understand the person behind the resume—you cross that finish line together. 

And just like my daughter, you learn from each race. You tweak your process. You build endurance. You get better. 

The Final Chord at Madison Square Garden 

A few weeks ago, I saw The Brothers—Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks—at Madison Square Garden. I’ve been watching them play together since the mid-90s. That night, their chemistry was electric. It wasn’t just skill. It was a connection. The kind of magic that happens when people have done the work, played the long game, and learned how to anticipate each other’s next move. 

That’s what great teams do. That’s what great hiring feels like. 

You can’t rush that. You can’t fake it. And you sure as hell can’t automate it.

Don’t Skip the Middle 

So here’s what I’ll leave you with: AI is here to stay. It’s incredible. It makes us faster and smarter, and more efficient. But it’s not enough. The middle matters. The human part matters. 

If you skip it, you’ll miss the best candidates. You’ll make offers that don’t stick. You’ll build teams that don’t gel. And you’ll find yourself asking, over and over again, “What went wrong?” 

But if you live in the middle—if you embrace both technology and humanity—you’ll find success. 

Not just in hiring, but in everything. 

About The Author: 

Steve Swan is the founder of The Swan Group, a boutique executive search firm focused on biotech, life sciences, and IT leadership roles. With over 25 years in the industry, he’s built a reputation for being brutally honest, fiercely thorough, and deeply committed to understanding what makes both candidates and companies tick. Known for his “no guesswork offers” mantra, Steve blends human intuition with modern tools to create matches that last. He’s also the voice behind Biotech Bites, a podcast where tech meets storytelling, and a lifelong lover of live music, endurance cycling, and fatherhood.

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