You know that time on a Friday night when you have a couple of drinks and your partner has dozed off and then you have a brilliant idea and decide you’re going to become a beekeeper but there’s no one to discuss it with and before you know it you’ve ordered a beginners guide to beekeeping book that arrives tomorrow because you just can’t wait

Yes, that was a genuine social media post of mine from a couple of years ago.  The book arrived promptly the next day, and I couldn’t wait to get started on my brilliant idea.  And thanks to the social media post, I had quite a few friends egging me on.

It’s a very visual book, and as I skimmed through it, some doubts crept in – the enlarged pictures of swarms of bees were not filling me with joy, and it occurred to me that I really am quite scared of bees, in spite of having a lot of respect for their work.

One thing that was very apparent from the book is that beekeepers get stung rather a lot.  I naively thought that the beekeeper outfit would keep me safe, but no, it seemed unlikely that I would avoid injury.  And being quite scared of bees, if a bee should attack me, I would be unlikely to remain calm, but rather flail around screaming until the other bees attacked me as well.

I’d love this to be a triumphant story about overcoming one’s fears, but as you have probably guessed, I did not become a beekeeper.

I was just thinking about this because I came across the book earlier, appropriately shelved next to dusty copies of ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Crochet’ and ‘Crypto for Beginners’.

It got me thinking about recruitment.

Not because recruitment is anything like beekeeping (although both can occasionally involve protective clothing and a healthy respect for things that might sting).

What struck me was how different the reality was from the picture I had created in my head.

In my mind, beekeeping involved standing in a sunny field, collecting jars of honey and becoming the sort of wholesome person who delivers honey to the neighbours, declaring proudly “This is from my own bees.”

The reality involved a lot more knowledge, commitment, risk, and, crucially, quite a lot of bees.

I see a similar thing happen in hiring.

Sometimes a hiring manager has a picture in their head of the perfect candidate. They know exactly what they want: the skills, the experience, the industry background and perhaps even the personality type.

Then the search begins – but the market has other ideas.

The candidate who looks perfect on paper isn’t interested. The person with every technical skill lacks the softer skills. The individual from a different industry turns out to be the strongest interview. The role itself evolves as conversations take place.

Much like my brief flirtation with beekeeping, the more information we gather, the more our original assumptions are challenged – and that’s not a bad thing.

The best hiring decisions rarely come from sticking rigidly to the original plan. They come from being open-minded enough to learn something during the process and adapt accordingly.

Thankfully, unlike beekeeping, recruitment doesn’t usually involve swarms, protective veils or the risk of being chased across a field.

Although occasionally it can feel that way.

I’ve held on to my books for now – I figured if I focus on becoming a crypto millionaire, I can hire someone else to do the beekeeping for me while I am learning to crochet.

If you’ve ever started a project, hobby or hiring process convinced you knew exactly how it would turn out, only to discover reality had other plans, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

The good news is that some of the best outcomes happen when we’re prepared to adapt our thinking along the way.