Hiring in a Tight Market: Why Culture Fit Matters More Than CVs
- Kick On Recruitment
- Sep 24
- 2 min read
In today’s market, equestrian businesses are facing a familiar struggle.. The talent is out there… but where are the right people?
Hiring in a niche industry means the pool is smaller and competition for great people is fierce. So how do you build a strong, reliable team when CVs alone don’t tell the full story?
You focus on culture fit.
What is Culture Fit, Really?
It’s not about hiring people who all think the same or went to the same eventing yard. It’s about shared values, working style and attitude.
Culture fit is when someone gets your business, not just what you do, but how you do it.
It’s the sales rep who thrives in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial brand. The admin support who quietly holds everything together. The marketer who loves collaborating with product and customer service. It’s chemistry. And when it clicks, it matters more than what’s written on paper.
Why CVs Are No Longer Enough
In a tight market, holding out for “perfect on paper” candidates can leave your role open for months.
Here’s what we are seeing:
Brilliant candidates being passed over for not having industry-specific experience
Great CVs being shortlisted, only to discover there’s no connection in person
Businesses realising that someone with the right mindset learns fast and lasts longer
And the cost of a poor hire? That’s more than just lost time. It can affect morale, customers and your reputation.
Bad culture can cost the UK economy £23.6 billion a year, largely from lost staff through dissatisfaction with company culture - Research by breatheHR
Read more about the cost of a bad hire here
What to Look For Instead
When CVs are similar, culture is what sets candidates apart.
Ask:
• How do they communicate under pressure?
• Are they proactive, or reactive?
• Do they want to work in the equestrian space, or are they just job hunting?
• Do they align with your company’s pace, tone and ambition?
Often, the best hires are the ones who don’t tick every technical box but show the attitude, energy and values that match your team.
Our Advice to Clients
When hiring gets hard, remember the following..
Final Thought
The equestrian industry is built on grit, passion and trust. So it’s no surprise that who someone is often matters just as much as what they’ve done.
As recruiters, we have seen time and time again that the most successful placements happen when there’s a fit. When someone walks into a brand and feels like they have arrived. And that’s why in a competitive market, culture fit isn’t a “nice to have”. It’s the thing that makes recruitment work.
Passionate about people. Passionate about horses. And passionate about helping build your dream team.
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