Are You Looking for a Candidate Who Doesn't Exist?
Sometimes the problem isn't the candidates...It's the job description.
When a position has been open for weeks and the candidate pool is weak—or nonexistent—it’s tempting to assume the market simply doesn't have the talent you need.
But before widening the search, consider whether the requirements themselves may be narrowing the candidate pool too far.
A recent Indeed survey found that 65% of employers had revised a job description after posting it. Among employers receiving too many unqualified candidates, 42% revised the description, while 25% of employers receiving no qualified candidates did the same.
There's another interesting disconnect.
Indeed found that roughly one-third of job seekers have opted out of applying for jobs because they didn't meet the listed experience, education, or technical requirements.
Yet employers surveyed by Indeed said candidates needed to meet approximately 70% of the listed requirements to be considered.
So there can be a gap between what an employer lists and what a candidate assumes is required.
The Purple Squirrel Problem
The term “purple squirrel” is often used in recruiting to describe a candidate who possesses an unusually specific combination of skills, experience, education, industry background, and other qualifications.
Sometimes that candidate really is rare. But sometimes we've created the purple squirrel ourselves.
Every additional “must-have” shrinks the potential candidate pool. The question is whether each requirement is actually predictive of success in the job.
Before launching a difficult search, ask:
1. Is this truly required?
If the candidate doesn't have this skill or experience, can they actually perform the job? If yes, it may be a true must-have. If not, reconsider whether it belongs on the list.
2. Can it be learned?
If a candidate has the right foundation and could learn a specific tool, system, or process relatively quickly, does it really need to be a prerequisite?
3. Is there equivalent experience?
A candidate may not have the exact background listed but may have highly relevant experience from an adjacent technology, industry, or environment.
Don't confuse exact experience with relevant experience.
4. Is a preference disguised as a requirement? This happens more often than you might think.
Examples can include:
A specific degree
An exact number of years of experience
Experience with one particular software platform
Experience in one specific industry
Experience managing a team of a particular size
Experience coming from a particular type of company
Some of these may absolutely matter. The point is to determine which ones actually do.
5. What would make this person successful six months from now?
This may be the most important question. Instead of asking:
“What would the perfect candidate have?”
Ask:
“What would make you say six months from now that you hired the right person?”
That shift can change the entire search.
The Recruiter's Job Isn't Just to Find Candidates
A good recruiting partner shouldn't simply take a job description, search for every keyword, and send resumes.
Sometimes the job is to challenge the requirements.
Sometimes it's to identify transferable experience.
Sometimes it's to tell a hiring manager that the market is showing them something
important.
And sometimes the answer really is: The candidate you're looking for is extremely rare.
But before concluding that, make sure you haven't accidentally created a job description for someone who doesn't exist.
At Makena Staffing, we believe the best recruiting starts with understanding what actually matters—not simply checking every box.
Because sometimes you're looking for a rare candidate..And sometimes you've accidentally created one.
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