The Purple Squirrel: Myth or Reality.

The term "purple squirrel" is a metaphor for an ideal candidate who possesses the unique combination of skills, qualifications, and experience that perfectly matches everything the hiring manager has asked for of the person they believe is what they need for the open job position. Recruiters are often tasked with finding these purple squirrels, but the reality is that they are rare and elusive.

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The search for the ‘perfect’ candidate can be long and arduous, and even when a purple squirrel is identified, there is no guarantee that the candidate will actually be the best fit for the company. Let’s assume for a second that they are interested in the role, you can afford them, and it’s all looking good. Are you looking 6 months, a year, 2 years ahead or longer to match their future needs too?

How long are you prepared to wait? And let’s face it, if they are your purple squirrel, they are probably someone else’s too. What’s to say you find the person after 6 months, they accept your offer, agree to join in a month, but get counter-offered and don’t start, or start but get poached within a year?

The costs of hiring the wrong person can be significant, both financially and in terms of morale and productivity. It is important to remember that there is no such thing as a perfect candidate. Every candidate will have their own strengths and weaknesses. The key is to find a candidate who is a good fit for the job and for the company culture.

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Another problem with the purple squirrel methodology is that it can lead to a narrowing of the talent pool. When employers are only looking for candidates who meet all of their specific requirements, they may be excluding talented individuals who have different skills and experiences that could be valuable to the team, its sure to affect DEI too. Which with the current push for Return to Office already having an impact on Diversity, can you afford to put more barriers up here?

So, what can hiring managers do to hire the people they need, without wasting time and resources on the mythical purple squirrel? Here are a couple of tips:

1. Reassess your job requirements.?Are you asking for too much from your candidates? Be realistic about the skills and experience that are truly essential for the job. If you had to wait 6 months for the perfect candidate, but they might leave after a year because you can’t keep up with the future needs. In that time, would you be able to train someone, give someone a better longer term career opportunity, and create your own purple squirrel that’s likely to be better value in the long run.
2. Work with a recruiter. You could say I am biased in recommending this, but I truly believe?a good recruiter can help you identify and recruit qualified candidates, even if they don't meet all of your job requirements to the letter. They’ll understand your objectives for the hire but might have a different interpretation of how. I like to use the term ‘wildcard’, I’ll often identify a candidate who’ll be coming at the role from a different angle, they’ll be able to meet the objectives of the role but might not come with the expected background that we are used to. It works more often than not. It makes me think that we can get in the habit of expecting that the only people who can do the role will have the exact skills and experience that have worked before, but that’s not always the case.

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It is important to remember that there is no such thing as a perfect candidate. Every candidate will have their own strengths and weaknesses.

I’m certainly not saying lower your standards, but I am saying there is more than one way to solve a problem.

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If you would like to chat about your own challenges please get in touch.