In construction and infrastructure, particularly in a talent-short market, finding a unicorn candidate, someone who ticks 90–100% of what you’re looking for, is becoming increasingly difficult. And if they do exist, there’s a good chance they’re already employed and not actively looking for another job.

I see businesses meet candidates who might be 70–80% of what they’re looking for, but instead of pushing through with them, they decide to wait and see who else comes onto the market.

Four weeks later, the position is still vacant, that person has accepted another role, and the business is still looking for the 'perfect’ candidate.

The question I think hiring managers need to ask is: What is actually costing the business waiting for the perfect candidate?

A vacant Project Manager, Engineer, Estimator or Supervisor doesn't just mean there is an empty seat. That workload usually goes somewhere else. It could mean additional pressure on the existing team, overtime, reduced delivery capacity or even delays across your projects.

If you want a more in-depth discussion on the current labour shortage and how businesses are responding to it, listen to Episode 3 of Leader Scout wherever you get your podcasts.

On this Week’s Toolbox, here’s a framework you can use when deciding whether to keep searching or move forward with the candidate already in front of you:

1. Separate your essentials from your desirables

Before you start interviewing, be very clear about what the candidate genuinely needs to have from day one and what can be developed once they join the business.

If you’re looking for a Project Manager, there will be skills and experience you simply cannot compromise on. But there may also be requirements sitting on your brief because the previous Project Manager had them or because they would be nice to have.

Start by asking:

• What skills are essential for this person to perform the role?

• What can realistically be taught?

• What can they learn through onboarding?

• What experience would be useful, but isn't necessarily a dealbreaker?

  
  

If someone has the important 70–80%, fits well with the team and has the capacity to learn the remaining requirements, you might already have the person you need.

2. Hire for capability and trajectory, not just perfection

Even the perfect candidate will need onboarding.

Every contractor operates differently. Your systems, clients, projects, expectations and quality of work will not be exactly the same as the company they are coming from, regardless of how experienced they are.

Instead of only asking whether someone has everything you need today, think about whether they can perform with the right onboarding and support.

Look at their capability, learning capacity and the direction they’ve taken throughout their career. If they're missing something, work out how difficult that gap actually is to close.

For example, if an operator meets the important requirements but needs a Verification of Competency that can be completed within a few hours, is that really worth losing the candidate over?

3. Know the cost of leaving the position vacant

Businesses know what recruitment costs them., but few really know what an open vacancy costs them every week.

Before deciding to wait another four weeks for the perfect candidate, look at what the vacancy is already doing to the business.

Take a look at the following:

• Overtime: Are other employees working additional hours to cover the gap?

• Workload: Who has picked up the responsibilities while the position is vacant?

• Delivery: Are projects, tenders or deadlines being affected because you’re short a person?

Then put a rough dollar value against it.

For example, if leaving an Estimator position vacant means the owner is spending 10 hours every week pricing work instead of developing the business, that vacancy has a cost.

If your existing team is working overtime every week to cover a missing Supervisor, or if project delivery is slowing down because your Project Manager is covering responsibilities across two positions, that vacancy definitely has a cost.

BONUS TIP: When you’re deciding whether to progress a 70–80% candidate, compare the cost and time required to close their skill gaps against the cost of leaving the role vacant for another four to eight weeks.

You might find that spending a few weeks developing the right person makes more commercial sense than spending another two months looking for the unicorn.

Here’s my challenge this week:

The next time you’re about to reject a good candidate because they’re missing something, ask yourself:

“Is this a genuine dealbreaker, or is it something we could realistically teach?”

There’s a big difference between a skill gap that puts your business or projects at risk and one that can be closed with the right support.

The perfect candidate sounds great on paper, but waiting for them shouldn't come at the expense of your existing team, your project delivery or a good candidate who could have become a great employee.