DO PURPLE SQUIRRELS & UNICORNS REALLY EXIST?

I just finished reviewing a position description for a position with a software development start-up here in Austin. The list of required skillsets for this position is 26 — and I can assure you that these are not easy-to-find requirements. The list is comprised of every hot technology buzz word under the sun. This position has been open for 4 months and now I know why….unrealistic expectations from the hiring manager. Is this position really hard to fill?

I dislike this “hard-to-fill” mindset. I know that some jobs, by their nature, are going to be a challenge, but the impossible ones just irritate me for a host of reasons.

  1. After a while, hard-to-fill jobs take on a life of their own. Very soon, no one is good enough for the job as the hiring manager breezes through resumes rejecting all. Sadly, it’s often a needle in the haystack dilemma that will come to no good for anyone involved.
  2. Hard-to-fill jobs, by their nature, often come from the most unreasonable of hiring managers. These are the managers who “know what they want and want what they want” with little regard to what is in their market.
  3. Endless time is taken as the “critical job” sits empty. Honestly, how critical can it be if no one is doing it for 4 months? Honestly, this is dismal for all concerned.

Is it really a “Hard to Fill” job: almost never. Hard-to-please hiring managers: often times, yes. Unrealistic expectations? Once again, yes. There are, in almost all cases, no hard-to-fill positions. Most positions that are open for months are that way for a reason.

  • Perhaps it is not the description of one job but actually two.
  • There is only budget for one job? Make the case to adjust the budget and split the job.
  • Cost is too high? Why are you looking at cost when you should be looking at value and ROI? Going one step further, what is the “cost” of not filling this position? Where are the pain points, and who is feeling them?

Lastly, the longer a job is open, the more scrutiny it should be under. “Hard-to-fill” jobs are a problem begging for a solution.

What “hard to fill” jobs do you have open?

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