Fit, Function, Flow: The New Lens for Smarter Hiring
- miulo6
- Sep 3
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 21
Picture this: You’re hiring a “Marketing Manager.”
Sounds clear, right? A marketing manager manages… marketing.
But then the resumes start rolling in.
One candidate spent three years running Google Ads campaigns.
Another built content calendars and blogs.
Another handled events and occasionally answered customer calls.
Same title. Completely different jobs.
Welcome to the messy reality of job titles
The Problem with Labels
Job titles are like neat labels slapped on messy jars. They look uniform on the shelf, but open one up, and you’ll find:
One’s full of flour.
Another’s filled with coffee beans.
The third? A handful of mismatched screws.
The same “Marketing Manager” could mean ads, content, events, or even customer service.
An “Ops Assistant” might be crunching spreadsheets in one company… and running the entire workflow in another.
And “Client Success Lead”? Sometimes it’s strategy, delivery, and reporting. Sometimes it’s just answering emails.
The title floats.
The reality is underneath.
Why Titles Mislead in Hiring
Here’s the catch:
If you hire based on titles, you’re hiring assumptions.
It’s like buying a book by the cover and realizing halfway through it’s not even the genre you wanted.
At MAI, we’ve seen this happen too many times. Companies chase resumes with shiny titles “ex-Big Tech", “VP", “Lead” only to discover the role was wildly different from what they needed.
The result?
Mismatch. Misalignment. Missed opportunities.
The MAI Hiring Lens: Fit, Function, Flow
So how do we avoid the trap?
We don’t hire for labels. We hire for Fit, Function, and Flow:
Fit – Does the person align with the role and culture?
Function – Do they actually have the capabilities needed? (Not just the title on their resume.)
Flow – Will they work seamlessly within the existing team and systems?
When those three overlap, you don’t just fill a position. You find the right hire.
The Iceberg Truth About Talent
Think of it this way: job titles are the tip of the iceberg.
They float on the surface easy to see, easy to sell.
But what matters is underneath: the skills, mindset, and adaptability that actually keep the work moving.
That’s why, at MAI, we look past the labels.
Because the right people aren’t the ones with the flashiest titles.
They’re the ones who fit into the system, simplify the complex, and move the work forward.
Hiring Beyond Labels
So the next time you’re building a team, remember:
“Marketing Manager” could mean three entirely different jobs.
“Ops Assistant” might be your entire operations engine.
“Client Success Lead” could be strategy or inbox management.
Same title ≠ same job.
Hiring isn’t about labels.
It’s about finding the people who make systems work.
And that’s the work that lasts.
Hire What Lasts, Not What Floats
The shiny fades. Depth stays.
So next time you’re hiring, ask: Are we hiring for decoration? Or are we hiring for durability?
Because when you’re scaling a business, surface-level hires slow you down. Depth moves you forward.
At MAI, we build teams and systems that don’t just survive they scale.
Hiring titles is easy. Hiring depth takes intention.
If you’re ready to build a team that actually fits your systems and scales with you.
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