A recent survey by GoodTime (2025 Hiring Insights Report) revealed that 29% of talent acquisition leaders cite a lack of qualified candidates as their biggest challenge. But here’s the truth: the talent is out there. You’re just looking in the wrong places.
For years, companies have relied on the same playbook: screen resumes for impressive credentials, conduct standard interviews, check references, and hope for the best. Meanwhile, exceptional candidates – people who could transform your team – are being filtered out before you ever meet them.
The problem isn’t a talent shortage. It’s that we’re measuring the wrong things.
The hidden cost of conventional hiring
Think about the best hire you ever made. Chances are, something about them stood out beyond their resume – their problem-solving approach, their drive, how they thought about challenges. Now think about how many candidates with those same qualities never made it past your initial screening because they didn’t check the “right” boxes.
Traditional hiring methods aren’t just inefficient – they’re keeping you from building the team you actually need. When you prioritize years of experience and fancy degrees over actual ability, you don’t just miss out on great talent. You build homogeneous teams that think alike, solve problems the same way, and struggle to innovate.
A better way to find exceptional talent
The good news? Small changes to your hiring process can unlock a completely different caliber of candidate. Here’s how:
1. Define roles around outcomes, not credentials
Stop writing job descriptions that read like wish lists. Instead, get crystal clear on what this person will actually accomplish in their first six months.
Rather than “5+ years of experience in financial analysis,” try: “Manage and deliver monthly financial reports using [specific software] for department heads, covering budgets for five key projects, ensuring 100% accuracy and meeting deadlines.”
See the difference? One filters for credentials. The other paints a picture of success. When you define roles this way, you’ll attract candidates who can envision themselves excelling – regardless of whether their background looks “traditional.”
2. Screen for what actually matters
Here’s where most hiring processes fall apart. You’re screening for everything when you should be screening for the factors that truly predict success in this specific role.
Is the job task-heavy? Use a work simulation. Do professional skills matter most? Include a knockout question early. Is personality and motivation critical? Use structured assessments. Need values alignment? Ask thoughtful questions that reveal how candidates think.
Stop trying to find the “perfect” candidate who checks every box. Start finding the right candidate who can excel at what matters most.
3. Rethink what interviews can be
The standard interview format wasn’t designed to find the best candidates. It was designed for convenience. And it systematically advantages certain people while creating barriers for others.
What if an exceptional candidate struggles with on-the-spot verbal processing but excels at thoughtful problem-solving? What if someone has brilliant ideas but gets nervous in high-pressure conversations with strangers?
The question isn’t “Can they perform well in our standard interview?” It’s “Can they do the job exceptionally well?”
Consider alternative formats: async video responses, working sessions, case presentations, trial projects. The goal is to create conditions where every candidate can show you their best work – not just the candidates who happen to excel at traditional interviews.
4. Use references to set people up for success
Let’s be honest: reference checks as currently practiced are mostly theater. Candidates provide references who will say positive things. You check a box. Everyone moves on.
But references can actually be valuable – if you ask different questions. Instead of “Was this person good?” ask:
- “What environment did they thrive in?”
- “How did they approach challenges?”
- “If I hired them, how could I set them up for success?”
These insights help you onboard effectively and create the conditions for someone to excel from day one.
The team you could build
Imagine your team six months from now. You’ve hired someone everyone else overlooked – someone without the “traditional” background but with exactly the skills and drive your team needed. They’re solving problems in ways your team never considered. They’re pushing everyone to think differently. They’re thriving.
That hire didn’t happen because you got lucky. It happened because you stopped hiring the way everyone else does.
When you rethink your hiring process, you don’t just fill positions faster. You build teams that are more creative, more resilient, and more capable of tackling the challenges ahead. You discover talent that your competitors miss. You create opportunities for people who’ve been systematically overlooked.
And here’s the real payoff: those people – the ones who had to work harder to get noticed, who bring different perspectives, who approach problems in unexpected ways.
Your next step
The hiring landscape has changed, but most companies are still using the same old playbook. That’s your opportunity.
Pick one element of your hiring process this week and reimagine it. Rewrite a job description around outcomes. Design a work simulation. Create an alternative interview format. Start small, but start now.
The exceptional talent you’re looking for is out there. They’re just waiting for someone to look beyond the resume and see what they’re actually capable of.
