TTD Insight 01
Why Your Perfect Candidate Probably Isn't Applying for Your Job
By Emma Grace, Founder, The Talent Division
Welcome to The Talent Division Insights, practical recruitment advice from Emma Grace, Founder of The Talent Division. Drawing on nearly 30 years in recruitment, each Insight shares honest observations and practical guidance to help businesses attract, hire and retain exceptional people.
If there's one thing I've learnt after nearly three decades in recruitment, it's this:
The best candidates aren't always looking.
It's probably one of the biggest misconceptions in recruitment.
A business decides it's time to hire, invests time writing a job advert, posts it online and waits for applications to arrive. Sometimes that works brilliantly.
But increasingly, it doesn't.
The person who could make the biggest difference to your business is often busy doing exactly that for somebody else.
They're succeeding in their current role. They're valued by their employer. They aren't scrolling job boards in the evening or updating their CV on a Sunday afternoon.
In fact, many of the best candidates I speak to haven't looked for a job in years.
That doesn't mean they would never move.
It simply means they need a compelling reason to have the conversation.
Recruitment has changed
There was a time when advertising a vacancy generated hundreds of applications.
Today, recruitment looks very different.
Candidates have more choice, expectations have shifted, and businesses are competing harder than ever for experienced talent.
Posting an advert still has its place, but relying on applications alone can mean you're only reaching a small proportion of the market.
The people actively looking for work are important.
But so are the people who aren't.
Why people really change jobs
One of the questions I'm asked most often is:
"If someone isn't looking, why would they leave?"
The answer is rarely just salary.
Over the years I've found that people are far more likely to move because they're looking for something that's missing from their current role.
It might be:
- Better leadership
- Greater flexibility
- More autonomy
- Career progression
- A healthier culture
- The chance to make a bigger impact
- A business whose values align with their own
Sometimes they don't even realise they're open to a move until someone takes the time to understand what matters to them.
That's where recruitment becomes much more than matching a CV to a job description.
Your job advert is only part of the story
A well-written advert absolutely matters.
It should tell people why your opportunity is worth considering, what makes your business different, and what success in the role looks like.
But even the best advert won't reach someone who isn't looking.
That's why the strongest recruitment campaigns usually combine advertising with proactive search, networking and direct approaches.
It's about finding the people who weren't expecting your phone call but are delighted you made it.
Every business has a story worth telling
One of my favourite parts of recruitment is helping clients see their business through someone else's eyes.
You know why your business is a great place to work.
A potential candidate doesn't.
They don't know about your supportive leadership team, your opportunities for progression, the flexibility you offer, or the culture you've worked hard to create.
Those are often the things that persuade someone to explore an opportunity, not just the job title or salary.
Recruitment is still about people
Technology has transformed recruitment.
AI can help write adverts.
Algorithms can search databases.
Job boards can reach thousands of people instantly.
They're all useful tools.
But recruitment is still, and always will be, about people.
It's about understanding businesses, listening to candidates, building trust and recognising when the right opportunity comes along for the right person.
Those conversations can't be automated.
Finally
If you're struggling to attract the people you hoped for, don't assume the right candidates don't exist.
It may simply be that they haven't seen your advert.
Or perhaps they weren't looking in the first place.
Sometimes the best hire isn't the person who applied.
It's the person who answered the phone.
Emma’s Thought
"The best candidates rarely arrive by accident. Great recruitment is about understanding people, asking the right questions and never underestimating the value of a conversation."