Stop Looking for Unicorns: Why Your Hiring Problem Isn’t a ‘Where’ Problem

Have you ever found yourself saying, “I just can’t find good people” or “There must be a job board I haven’t tried yet”? You’re not alone. After 20 years in recruitment and talent strategy, I’ve watched countless business owners chase their tails looking for that perfect hiring source – that magical place where all the great candidates must be hiding.

Let me share a story that might sound familiar.

A business owner, let’s call her Sarah*, had been through three assistant hires in 18 months. Each time, she blamed the source – first LinkedIn (“so expensive!”), then Seek (“so many ads, mine probably got buried”), then a recruiter (“so expensive and didn’t send anyone good”). “I just need to find my unicorn,” she told me, frustrated after her latest hire didn’t work out. “Maybe I’m looking in the wrong places?”

But here’s the truth: Sarah’s problem wasn’t WHERE she was looking. It was HOW she was hiring.

This pattern repeats itself across businesses of all sizes. When a hire doesn’t work out, the immediate reaction is predictable:

• “I must be looking in the wrong places”
• “I just need to find my unicorn”
• “Maybe a different job board is the answer”
• “I should hire a recruiter to find better people”

And when things go wrong? The blame often shifts to the hired person:

• “They must have lied in the interview”
• “They showed their true colours later”
• “They couldn’t do what they said they could do”

The Shift from Where to How

But here’s what two decades of watching successful and unsuccessful hires has taught me: Your perfect hire could be right in front of you. But if you don’t know HOW to spot them, screen them, or set them up for success, you’ll miss them every single time.

Another client, let’s call him Mark*, had been through five failed customer service hires. He’d spent thousands on Seek ads and even tried a recruiter, but was disappointed when they didn’t work out. He was convinced he just hadn’t found the right platform yet. When we worked together, we discovered his real problem: he hadn’t clearly defined what “right” looked like. Once we established his HOW – how to attract, how to select, how to onboard – his next hire stayed for three years and helped double his business.

The transformation happens when you shift your focus from WHERE to HOW:

• HOW to develop your eye for talent
• HOW to attract the right people
• HOW to select effectively
• HOW to set new hires up for success

This isn’t about finding unicorns. It’s about building your hiring intelligence.

Think about it: If you’re an expert in your field, you know how to spot quality work. A chef knows good food, a designer knows good design, and a sales leader knows good salespeople. Hiring is no different – it’s a skill you can master.

Stop searching for magical places and mythical employees. Start building your hiring intelligence. Because when you master the HOW of hiring, you’ll never have to worry about WHERE to look again.

Ready to Transform Your Hiring Approach?

Let’s have a conversation about building your Dream Team. Book a Dream Team Discovery Call today, and let’s turn your hiring challenges into hiring successes.

*Names have been changed to protect client privacy