try and hire

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "try and hire" is commonly used in spoken English, but it is considered less formal and may not be the best choice for written English.
You can use it when discussing efforts to recruit or employ someone, often in a casual context. Example: "We will try and hire the best candidates for the position."

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

Other teams will try and hire our riders and staff but if we recruit well we've got some good plans".

The Guardian - Sport

Q. Do you hire differently than other Applebee's? A. In the New York market it's hard to find people with good attitudes, so we try and hire by personality.

The New York Times

You should try and hire someone that shares your fundamental values about people and leadership but brings complementary skills.

TechCrunch

Thomas H. Zurbuchen, the Associate Dean for Entrepreneurship Programs, says that they try and hire entrepreneurs as teachers but in some classes they don't have a current entrepreneur involved.

TechCrunch

Rather than giving you marching orders, 'You must do it this way.' And the way I saw my job was to try and hire people who were smarter than I was and to run interference for them.

Huffington Post

Try and hire one.

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

Warner Bros was first to try and fail, hiring David Kajganich, a screenwriter whose credits include mediocre horror movies such as Joel Schumacher's Blood Creek.

The Guardian - Books

If there is one "hard and fast rule" it would be that I try and first hire people with incredible work ethic that have positive attitudes.

Huffington Post

Mindy explained that I could hire a recruiter but that given my budget; I could try to recruit and hire myself using a wonderful process which is outlined in a book by Geoff Smart and Randy Street, titled WHO: A Method for Hiring.

Huffington Post

Just as you and other job seekers network to try and find jobs, hiring managers network to try and find employees.

Science Magazine

For most of us who are trying to grow and hire, the "help" they are offering is starting to get discouraging.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

While "try and hire" is commonly used, especially in spoken English, opt for "try to hire" in formal writing to maintain a more polished and grammatically precise tone.

Common error

Avoid using "try and hire" in formal documents such as reports or official communications. "Try to hire" or "attempt to hire" are more appropriate for these contexts.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "try and hire" functions as a verb phrase expressing an attempt or effort to recruit or employ someone. It indicates an action that is being undertaken with the intention of securing new personnel. Ludwig provides several examples of its use in various contexts, even if Ludwig AI considers the expression to be informal.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Wiki

20%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Science

10%

Encyclopedias

5%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "try and hire" is a common expression used to convey the intention of attempting to recruit or employ someone. While generally acceptable, Ludwig suggests that "try to hire" is grammatically preferable in formal writing. This phrase appears most frequently in news and media sources, though it can also be found in more informal contexts. When aiming for a professional or polished tone, consider alternatives such as "attempt to recruit" or "endeavor to employ".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

seek to recruit

Replaces "try" with "seek", focusing on the active search for new team members.

aim to employ

Emphasizes the intention to employ, replacing "try" with "aim".

attempt to recruit

Replaces "try" with the more formal "attempt" and maintains the core meaning of seeking to enlist new members.

make an effort to hire

Emphasizes the exertion of effort in the hiring process.

endeavor to employ

Uses "endeavor" to signify a serious attempt and "employ" as a formal alternative to "hire".

set out to recruit

Highlights the initial intention and determination to recruit new members.

work on recruiting

Highlights the ongoing effort to recruit, with a slightly different focus than a single attempt.

look to bring on board

A more idiomatic way of saying to hire, focusing on the action of integrating someone into the team.

recruit and onboard

More specific, focusing on the entire process from recruitment to integrating the new hire.

hire if possible

Focuses on the conditional nature of hiring, suggesting it depends on circumstances.

FAQs

Is "try and hire" grammatically correct?

While commonly used, "try and hire" is considered less grammatically formal than "try to hire". In formal writing, it's better to use "try to hire".

What's a more formal way to say "try and hire"?

For a more formal alternative, use "try to hire" or "attempt to hire".

When is it okay to use "try and hire"?

It's acceptable to use "try and hire" in informal conversations and casual writing, but it's best to avoid it in professional or academic contexts.

What's the difference between "try and hire" and "try to hire"?

The difference is primarily one of formality. "Try to hire" is considered grammatically standard, while "try and hire" is more colloquial. Both express the intention of attempting to recruit someone.