The Perfect Match: Recruiting and the Art of Finding the Impossible

Not long ago in the summer of 2024, a viral TikTok video caught my attention. In it, a woman named Megan Boni boldly outlined her ideal man with a level of specificity that could rival the most demanding hiring manager. She declared, “I’m looking for a man in finance, trust fund, 6’5”, blue eyes” and by my basic assumption, he would also need to be single. While her request sparked laughs and debate, it also struck a chord with me as a recruiter.

This scenario, while exaggerated for entertainment, mirrors the challenges recruiters face every day. Imagine a hiring manager saying, “I need a candidate with 10 years of experience, a master’s degree from an Ivy League school, fluency in Mandarin and Swahili, expertise in blockchain, and a willingness to relocate globally on a moment’s notice.” It’s the professional equivalent of the TikTok woman’s dream partner—desirable, but so rare it borders on fantasy.

To put this into perspective, let’s crunch the numbers on her request:

Step 1: Start with Men Worldwide The global population is around 8 billion, and about half are men, giving us roughly 4 billion to start. Easy, right?

Step 2: Add Blue Eyes Blue eyes are rare globally, with only about 8-10% of people possessing them. Applying that percentage to the 4 billion men, we’re left with 320 million blue-eyed men. That’s basically the population of the USA.

Step 3: Narrow by Height—6’5” or Taller Standing 6’5” is extraordinarily rare. Globally, maybe 0.1% of men reach this height. That’s 1 in 1,000, shrinking our pool to just 4 million men. That’s the population of Oklahoma – promising.

Step 4: Filter by Profession—Finance The term “Finance” is vague, so to be fair let’s say 1% of men work in finance. Applying that to the 4 million tall, blue-eyed men leaves us with just 3,200 individuals. That’s 64 men per State…

Step 5: Add the Trust Fund Having a trust fund is one of the rarest traits, even among this exclusive group. Let’s estimate 0.1%—or 1 in 1,000—of these finance professionals have trust funds. Now we’re down to just 3 men in the entire world.

Step 6: Single and Unmarried Finally, let’s assume 30% of adult men are single at any given time. Thirty percent of 3 gives us less than one person. Statistically, her perfect match might not even exist.

The Recruiting Parallel

As recruiters, we’re often handed similarly daunting checklists. Hiring managers may want the “unicorn” candidate—someone with an exceptional combination of skills, experience, and traits. It reminds me of how I would craft a Boolean string that mirrors their requirements:

• Start broad: (Title: Manager OR Director)
• Add specifics: AND Industry: Finance
• Layer on more: AND Skills: Six Sigma AND Blockchain
• Narrow by geography: AND Location: Boston.

At first, the results look promising. But with every additional filter, the candidate pool shrinks, much like the woman’s odds of finding her ideal partner. Eventually, and often, we may find ourselves staring at a list of zero potential matches.

This is where the art of recruiting comes in. Much like the TikTok woman might eventually loosen her criteria—accepting someone 6’3” instead of 6’5” or realizing a trust fund isn’t a dealbreaker—recruiters must guide hiring managers toward flexibility, or else the role may remain open indefinitely, be axed altogether, or you may spend a significant amount of valuable time spinning your wheels and wasting your time. Perhaps a candidate has eight years of experience instead of ten but demonstrates a strong aptitude for learning. Maybe they don’t have an Ivy League degree but have proven success in a comparable role.

Broadening the Search

The lesson here is clear: when the criteria is too narrow, both the TikTok dater and the hiring manager risk missing out on excellent matches. Loosening requirements doesn’t mean compromising on quality—it means redefining what success looks like and being open to unexpected possibilities.

Recruiting, like love, is about finding the right fit—not necessarily the “perfect” one. It’s knowing when to keep narrowing the search and when to broaden it to uncover hidden gems. As recruiters, our job is to strike that balance, using both data and intuition to guide our clients toward the best outcomes.

Because whether it’s a tall, blue-eyed finance bro or a blockchain-savvy manager with leadership potential, the perfect match may be closer than you think—if you’re willing to look a little differently.