The perfect candidate, with every skill, the right experience, the ideal salary expectations, and immediate availability, is rare. We don’t have to tell you twice! We know you’re living it. Holding out for that person can leave a role empty for months while work piles up on your team and strong candidates accept other offers.
If your search has stalled, the answer usually isn’t to lower your standards. It’s to rethink how you define, find, and evaluate talent. Here are six practical steps from the recruiters at Westphal Staffing.
1. Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves
Job descriptions tend to grow over time, picking up every skill anyone has ever wished for. You can watch the wish list grow with each person who reviews the job description and provides feedback. As you get feedback, start sorting each requirement into one of two groups:
- Must-haves: skills the person needs on day one because they can’t be learned quickly or the role can’t function without them.
- Nice-to-haves: skills that can be taught in the first few months, or that you’d like but could live without.
A useful test is to ask what a new hire would actually need to do well in their first 90 days. If a requirement doesn’t help with that, move it to the nice-to-have list or remove it. Overly long requirement lists also discourage qualified people from applying, so a tighter list can widen your applicant pool right away.
2. Hire for potential and train the gap
A candidate who meets 80% of your requirements and learns quickly can turn into an excellent long-term hire. Look for evidence of the qualities that are harder to teach: adaptability, problem-solving, communication, and a track record of picking up new tools.
Then plan for the gap. Build a simple onboarding and training plan covering the missing skills, set clear milestones, and assign a mentor. Training costs time, but it is usually cheaper and faster than leaving the seat empty for another quarter, and it often builds loyalty from someone who feels invested in.
3. Widen your talent pool
If you keep fishing in the same pond, you’ll keep catching the same fish. Consider groups you may be overlooking:
- Career changers whose skills transfer even if their job titles don’t match.
- Candidates without a traditional degree who have built their skills through work experience or certifications.
- Candidates in other locations, if the role can be remote or hybrid.
- Returning workers, such as people re-entering the workforce after time away.
- Internal candidates who are ready for a new challenge.
Evaluating resumes by skills rather than job titles or years of tenure helps you spot capable people who would otherwise be screened out.
4. Try contract or contract-to-hire
When you’re unsure whether a candidate is the right fit, a contract or contract-to-hire arrangement lets you find out on the job instead of guessing from an interview. You get immediate help on a project or backlog, and the candidate gets a chance to see the role and your team firsthand.
Contract talent can also fill a skill gap while you keep searching for a permanent hire, or help you test whether the role should be full-time at all. A recruitment firm can handle sourcing, payroll, and compliance so you can start quickly.
5. Revisit the job posting, pay, and flexibility
Sometimes the problem isn’t a shortage of talent; it’s the offer. If you’re getting few applicants or losing finalists, check three things:
- The posting: Is the title clear and searchable? Does it describe the work and the impact, not just a wish list? Is it written in plain language?
- Compensation: Compare your pay range against current market rates for the role and location. Being noticeably below market is one of the most common reasons good candidates say no.
- Flexibility and benefits: Remote or hybrid options, schedule flexibility, growth opportunities, and benefits can tip a decision as much as salary.
Your recruiter can share what candidates are asking for and what competing employers are offering.
6. Tighten your hiring process
A slow or confusing process can cost you good candidates, even when your requirements are reasonable. Strong candidates often have multiple offers, so speed and communication matter.
- Cut unnecessary steps. Combine interviews where you can and agree on a timeline up front.
- Decide as a group, quickly. Use a shared scorecard tied to your must-haves so feedback is consistent and fast.
- Communicate often. Even a short update keeps candidates engaged.
- Test skills directly. Work samples and structured interviews tell you more than a resume can.
- Be ready to make an offer. Once you’ve found a strong fit, move before a competitor does.
Let Westphal Staffing help
The perfect candidate may not exist, but the right one probably does, and finding them is easier with a partner. Westphal Staffing can help you pressure-test your requirements, tap candidate networks you may not reach on your own, offer contract and contract-to-hire options, and move quickly from search to offer. If you have an opening that has been open too long, contact Westphal Staffing today and let’s talk about a plan to fill it. Call 715-845-5569 or email westaf@westphalstaffing.com today!