Sunrock
- Sep 5, 2019
- 3 min read

Your Perfect Candidate Exists, but Do They Want to Work For You?

Updated: Oct 3, 2019

Amongst a flurry of keywords, you scroll for miles sourcing for the ideal candidate. Many candidates tick only a couple of boxes, and a fair few will boast all but those one or two skills that your job spec demands. However, when it comes to finding that someone who ticks every single criteria, then you would be lucky to get one such person who happens to exist, let alone be looking for that exact job at that moment in time. When envisioning the ideal person, do you and your team even have the same opinion on who that individual is?

Understandably, businesses do not want to take risks, as it costs the company three times the person's salary when making a wrong hire. Having said that, sitting back and not acting quickly to fill your company’s vacancies can be just as costly, if not more so in the long-term.

Personality fit

A checklist on a candidate’s CV does not always reveal their whole story, even if you have tried to screen them through a video call. By the time you are faced with the candidate offline, you could have an entirely different perception of their character. How will their personality fit in with your current employees? If they clash with your team, then their 100% skills match will prove for nothing and the search will have to start up again.

Salary rate

Often, your job’s salary fails to match up with what the ideal candidate is looking for, and it falls below the average for their skillset. Take a look at your salary range and see if there is any room for negotiation. If your salary falls well below the average for this job title, then the “perfect candidate” who happens to show up for the interview, will most likely walk away when they encounter the figures you are offering.

Shifting the goalposts

Aim high but not narrow. What about those candidates who do not quite fit the spec, but are willing to learn and can quickly pick things up? Surely they should be given as much consideration as a candidate who completely matches the role but does not want the job.

Attracting more candidates

Everyone has to start from somewhere. While there may be many candidates who do not currently fit the criteria, they may quickly be able to catch up with the unticked boxes. Perhaps you should review the job spec to see if it is currently too inflexible. Did your previous employees walk into the role with perfection? Even the ultimate candidate had to work their way up to get to where they are now.

Conversely, putting aside time to wait for the right person can cost you more money. Whilst you are waiting for that one candidate, the best alternatives are being snapped up.

Sometimes in life, it is best to make some compromises. Though these may not end up being compromises if they deliver you a candidate faster, and who may ultimately turn out to be better than that candidate you dreamed about.