The talent market is not Netflix

There is one common mistake companies make when hiring people. They think the talent market works like Netflix.

They want to look at one candidate, then at a second one, and then maybe check another ten. They are sure that at some point, the recruiter will understand their taste and present the perfect fit:

• Motivated
• With the right experience
• Someone who’s already worked in the same type of business but specifically wants to join them.

In reality, it almost always goes the same way.

A client comes to us and says, “We need a strong engineer, a VP, or a Head of Sales. Here are the requirements. Here’s the budget. And ideally, we needed them yesterday.”

We start searching. We comb through the market. We conduct dozens of interviews. We find someone experienced, skilled, and motivated. After the interview, everyone is happy.

And then comes the phrase that makes every recruiter’s eye start twitching: “Good candidate. But let’s see who else is on the market. Can you show us more?”

They somehow think that there’s a secret folder somewhere containing candidates who are stronger, cheaper, a perfect cultural fit, aren’t considering any other offers, and are willing to wait as long as necessary for a decision.

And then the hiring process begins again: more interviews, more discussions, another candidate and another week. Then one interviewer goes on vacation. Then a meeting gets postponed. Then there’s internal alignment.

And at some point, we get the message: “What if we go back to that first candidate?”

Sure. The only problem is, there’s no one left to go back to. They’re already building a product at another company — or, if not, they’re at least holding their first one-on-one with their new team and going through onboarding.

With my 20+ years in recruitment, I want to remind you of something you already know, but somehow often magically forget in crucial moments of hiring — the best specialists don’t sit around waiting. They’re rarely actively looking for a job. And they almost never wait a month while a company compares seven more similar profiles.

Great hiring isn’t a competition to find the most perfect person. It’s the ability to make a decision at the right time.

The biggest problem many companies have isn’t that they don’t look at enough candidates. It’s that they sometimes confuse thorough evaluation with an endless search for perfection.

Please don’t forget that perfect candidates don’t exist, and strong ones don’t stay available for long.■