What to Do When You Can’t Find the Perfect Candidate

The job market in advertising and marketing is tight and good talent has been hard to come by. Hiring managers and recruiters normally do not have a problem identifying top talent and matching them with the open positions available. Clients are struggling to find the perfect talent because the candidate pool is shallow. Those top talent candidates, or unicorns as we like to call them, are already placed in positions.

 

Top-tier candidates are not likely to leave their positions because the market is in their favor. More job opportunities to candidates mean candidates have more choices of where to work and better offers in terms of salary and benefits. If you are looking for those unicorns, you might have to accept there aren’t any readily available. Here are some of the best things to do when you can’t find your dream candidate.

 

Accept there is no perfect candidate

 

The hardest part about this job market is accepting that the perfect candidate might not be out there. As an agency/company, you would assume candidates would line outside to interview, but fewer candidates are available, especially those unicorns.

 

Have an internal conversation with your team after a couple of weeks of searching to navigate the hiring process differently. As work comes in and you are still in need of a candidate, hire a junior candidate, or someone that doesn’t meet every qualification will be more of a reality. 

 

Hire someone more junior

 

If you are looking to hire a more senior-level candidate, reconsider and hire someone more junior. We understand that needs are needs, but you may have better luck promoting an internal candidate and hiring someone younger and cheaper to do the job.

 

Not only are top-tier candidates hard to come by, but everyone is receiving offers for salary over a base asking price. Creative professionals in advertising are in high demand, and there is a tight market for who is available. Hiring a more junior candidate might help solve your problems, but keep an eye on the market because even entry-level creatives are receiving offers above asking before graduation. 

 

Train a candidate in a select skillset

 

When hiring talent for a job, it is expected they are well-versed in all requirements listed in the job description. There is a high probability that you will struggle to find a candidate in this tight market that meets every mark. If you like a candidate and think they would be a good match, but they are missing a skill or two, offer to train them.

 

The world of advertising is sink or swim, and little to no agencies offer to train professionals in the work. If there is a high demand for work but no one to do it, you will benefit from training talent.

 

We understand that it is hard to find exceptional talent in a tight candidate market, and we want to help. If you are looking for more resources, contact us directly, and we would love to assist in your freelance, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire needs.