Chasing Unicorns – Workforce in Crisis!

Unicorns are mythical creatures most resembling equine animals Horse, pony’s, donkeys, mules, zebras, etc.)! In a recent chat a good friend of mine and I were chatting, and he said he recently lost his job. He was obviously very frustrated because this was a part of a recent pattern he was experiencing….. The struggle involved to get a job when you are the wrong age, have the wrong keywords in your resume, and on and on!

He went on to comment that it felt like a unicorn, unicorn…….hhhhmmmmm…….. This comment resonated with me! Unicorns, mythical creatures that are quite often considered magical, but not real! The unicorn in this case is one of the types of candidates that get overlooked because they are 50+, have been in the search for a while, considered too expensive and frankly, “too old!” They are considered, “not real viable candidates!” They get dismissed along with other “unicorn” candidates!

We still chase unicorns; we just have decided there is a “perfect” unicorn! The perfect unicorn that is being chased by every recruiter, HR/Hiring Manager, and CEO, AKA the “perfect candidate!” The “perfect candidate” has become sarcastically known as the 30-year-old with 25 years of experience! This candidate checks all the right boxes, the education attainment, the right keywords on their resume, the right appearance and so on!

Unicorns are mystical and magical and even inspire positive reactions from some people. They can even inspire positivity and even hope at times. That being said, since we are chasing one unicorn the perfect candidate, then why not consider that there are many other unicorns that can inspire positivity and hope too! 

Here are some other great unicorn’s that are worthy of the chase as well!

Let’s consider the “other” unicorns and why they are viable as a candidate and there are many more of them!

The 50+ candidate that got downsized, reorganized, or just "thrown" out of their last job not based on their performance but because it suited somebody or some new plan! This unicorn is so often overlooked! This candidate brings a wealth of experience, life and work, to the table. Unlike previously thought, these unicorns stay healthier longer, so they still have a lot of “employment life” left to offer so the short-term risk with more mature people is no longer as much of a risk. Quite often, unlike it is assumed, many times they are not looking for “top dollar” to be employed and in many cases, they don’t need traditional “benefits” including “retirement.”

The 25-year-old candidate that found their Design, Passion and Purpose early and has worked hard to become better at that something than others but didn't get the traditional check boxes because they weren't an option! This unicorn might not have “years of work experience” but what they do have is a laser focus on their Design, Passion, and Purpose to the point that they are learning and growing beyond their years. They choose not to seek out an academic education but have learned much more than their counterparts who can check the education and even “work experience” boxes. They might have fewer years life experience but because of their driven pursuit they are quite often more prepared for life than most of their counterparts. They make good employees that can be developed through leading them into the next levels needed!

The mother that chose to focus on raising their children and now want to come back into the workforce but have an "employment gap" that somehow disqualifies them! Wow! This unicorn is one of the least understood and so often overlooked! A mother is so prepared for so many jobs, it’s truly amazing! These unicorns have developed so many skills and attitudes that would be valuable as an employee! They are familiar with handling a budget, prioritizing time, allotting resources, dealing with conflict, motivating others, etc. They too often are considered having an “employment gap” when the fact is that they may not have the technical exposure but the certainly have the soft skills and sometimes they have even kept up technically…..