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They Hired Me for Who I Could Become
By Hazel Seow | 30 June 2026
At 27, I applied for a role I was underqualified for.
The headhunter was hesitant. I didn't argue. I just explained what I could bring and let her decide. She put my resume forward anyway.
What followed was one of the longest interview processes of my life. Search committee. Board members. Management. Peers. Subordinates. A take-home assignment analysing budgets and building a proposal for the organisation's future.
I made it to the final two. My competitor had more experience.
I got the job.
When the call came, I didn't celebrate. I walked straight to a bookshop and bought The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins.
The framework I took from it:
First 30 days: listen and learn.
Next 30: plan and secure early wins.
Final 30: implement and align.
I was not hired for what I had. I was hired for what they believed I could become.
Back home in Singapore, I've seen too many hiring decisions come down to a checklist. The right degree. The exact years. The familiar title. Age and credentials over hunger and potential.
The person who hired me ignored the checklist. He bet on trajectory.
That decision changed the course of my career. It taught me something I carry into every client relationship today: that the most important thing you can see in another person is not where they are, but where they are going.
In philanthropy, the same principle applies. The families whose giving grows over time are rarely the ones with the most resources. They are the ones with the clearest sense of direction. Of purpose. Of where they want to go.
Find the people who bet on trajectory. And when you're in the room making the call, be that person too.
An edited version of this piece was originally published on LinkedIn.
If this resonated and you'd like to continue the conversation, I'd welcome a call.