Why Your Perfect Candidate Might Not Exist – And What to Do About It

Are your expectations holding back your hiring process?

You’ve scoped the role. You’ve listed the requirements. You’ve launched the search – perhaps internally, or via a specialist food manufacturing recruitment agency. But weeks go by and still, no dream candidate. Everyone’s almost right, but no one’s a perfect fit.

So what’s going wrong?

More often than not, it’s not the talent pool that’s the issue — it’s the expectations.

When expectations outweigh reality

At Corvin Fox, we often see hiring stalls when the criteria are simply too specific, too extensive, or misaligned with current market availability or the salary package on offer.

For example, a food manufacturer in a remote area might require someone with both an agronomy background and extensive quality assurance experience. Or they might be looking for a qualified Project Engineer who also holds DSEAR accreditation. While technically possible, these combinations are incredibly rare – and when they do exist, they’re highly sought after and unlikely to come at a mid-range salary.

We’ve also seen roles with 15+ “essential” requirements. Even if your salary is strong, expecting someone to tick every box is often unrealistic and will likely prolong your search.

Defining the core must-haves

To create a successful recruitment process, we help our clients focus on the 4-5 core functional requirements and 4-5 key behavioural competencies needed for the role. From there, we identify what’s a genuine necessity, and what could be considered a “nice to have.”

This strategic simplification doesn’t just attract better candidates – it also results in a smoother interview process and a higher success rate at offer stage.

Let’s get your search back on track

If your food manufacturing business is struggling to attract the right candidates for a role, we can help. No matter what the recruitment need is, we understand what’s available in the market – and how to find the closest match.

Let’s talk. Drop us a line to arrange a call, and we’ll give you some actionable pointers to get your hiring on track.