Who are the unicorn candidates, and how to know them?

Recently, there has been a lot of talk about unicorn candidates, their strong work ethics, and how they bring positivity to the team. But what exactly is a unicorn candidate, and why does your company need one?

As a hiring manager, you may have experienced the occasional long search to find a suitable candidate for the job role. A candidate with the requisite skills, experience, and qualifications is hard to find. But with so much fierce competition in the job market, getting ahead of your rivals is more important than ever. Therefore, getting the perfect candidate on board is a necessity.

Have you ever encountered a candidate who looks perfect for the job role and been enticed to recruit them? These unique candidates are known as Unicorns. These candidates can prove to be a blessing for your business. A unicorn is someone who is highly desirable but difficult to attract. Read the following blog thoroughly to learn more about unicorn candidates.

Who are unicorn candidates?

The first question that you must be thinking about is who are unicorn candidates? Is it just a modern word for the perfect candidate or something else? Let’s eliminate all this confusion. Someone who has a positive attitude and who is productive & high-performing is a unicorn candidate. These candidates are dedicated and have great work ethics. And whose high performance brings out the best in other team members too. These candidates are also known as purple unicorns. These are the candidates a recruiter wants to hire for their companies, but they are difficult to find in a single candidate.

Simply, unicorns are the celebrities of the hiring world. They can potentially derive success to your business with their skills and experience. Let’s discuss the benefits of hiring these ideal candidates in detail.

Benefits of hiring unicorn candidates

As mentioned above, purple unicorns can be a bonus for your business growth. Take a look at some more benefits of hiring these candidates in your organization.

• Comprises leadership skills

Employers always seek candidates who can add tremendous value to their business and easily take up new initiatives. They want their candidates to have the leadership qualities to handle the team in difficult situations. Unicorns have this quality, and they never lose their calm when it’s about handling challenging situations.

• A great example for others

One of the best things about hiring unicorns is that they are equipped with team spirit. They know how to work with managers and how to manage a team. Unicorns always motivate their colleagues to work better and efficiently. Purple unicorns can prove to be an excellent example for other employees.

• Improves the overall environment

Unicorns are highly-motivated employees, and they always give their 100% to their work. They also motivate other team members to deliver their best. The whole team gets encouraged with their enthusiasm and zeal to complete the given task. This positively impacts the overall environment of the team and the organization.

• Enhances the company’s reputation

The reputation of any organization highly depends upon its employees. Employees’ performance highly impacts the company’s reputation. As unicorns are top-performing candidates, they can improve the company’s reputation in the market. This will result in bringing a lot of value to your business.

To avail all these benefits, you need to find and attract unicorn candidates. However, finding unicorns is a challenging task, and therefore hiring managers should know some tips to attract, hire, and retain these potential candidates. Below are the tips that will help employers get potential candidates on board and retain them.

Tips for attracting unicorns

Recruiters can use certain tips to attract perfect candidates, which are mentioned below.

• Advertise vacancies

An ideal candidate will probably be working elsewhere; therefore, it is necessary to share your job vacancies as widely as possible. You can use the video interview software that gives the feature to publish the vacancy on various job boards. Further, ensure to post openings on social media platforms as well. Additionally, the advertisement should be appealing to attract unicorns. Reaching out to both passive and active job seekers is essential to get the purple unicorns on board.

• Create impressive job descriptions

Writing compelling job descriptions is imperative to attract the ideal candidates. Draft the description correctly, and include all the crucial points in it. Add roles and responsibilities of candidates, along with the benefits of taking the job. You must also mention the pay benefits and how applicants can thrive in your organization. Don’t write a story; just be honest and concise.

• Convey your brand

Nowadays, job seekers are more interested in the company’s culture; they want to ensure the company they choose is right for them. Before starting the hiring procedure, take proactive steps to improve the brand’s reputation. Promote the employer’s brand on different channels, and establish a brand name in the market. Use the social media platforms or the company’s official site and post pictures of different events held in your organization. This will entice applicants, and they would be willing to work in your company.

• Monitor the social media

Being active on social media is very important to attract qualified candidates easily. Moreover, you can even find out what thoughts people have about your company. If there are any negative remarks about the company, try to improve on those areas. Applicants are likely to go through the company’s social media platform before applying for the job, and negative comments can deter them from doing that.

Tips for interviewing unicorn candidates

When it comes to getting the best candidate on board, the main step is the interview process. If this process goes well, candidates are more likely to choose your organization. Here are some of the tips that can ensure a smooth interview procedure for unicorn candidates.

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• Offer a good salary package

Purple unicorns are highly skilled and beneficial for any organization, so they expect a good package. This is the first thing they might look for in a company. Since they have a huge demand, and many companies want to hire them, they choose the company that pays well for their job.

• Keep candidates engaged

One of the main issues recruiters usually face while hiring candidates is keeping them engaged throughout the hiring process. Candidate engagement is the most important factor that can leave a positive impression on applicants. If your hiring procedure is too long and contains various rounds, ensure regular conversations with candidates. Moreover, keep them updated about their status and upcoming rounds. An efficient candidate engagement process automatically improves the candidate experience.

• Provide work flexibility

Providing work flexibility in terms of location and time couldn’t be more important to attract the best candidates to your organization. Unicorns always look for flexible work options where they can maintain a good work-life balance. They always choose the company that understands their needs and adapts to the same. Moreover, providing flexible work options helps in decreasing the turnover rate.

• Conduct only necessary interview rounds

A lengthy hiring process can be a huge turnover for unicorn candidates. Make sure to eliminate unnecessary rounds from the hiring process and keep it short. Moreover, you must have frequent communication with candidates throughout the recruitment procedure to keep them interested and engaged.

Tips for retaining purple unicorns

Once you have attracted and hired unicorns, you should think about retaining them to enhance business productivity. Below are some tips that may help you in retaining ideal candidates.

• Foster a happy work environment

Purple unicorns love working in a company that fosters a positive work environment. A company’s culture is an imperative factor in retaining top employees. To make your workplace happy, occasionally conduct some fun activities. It will also help in team bonding.

• Reward hard work

Never forget to appreciate the hard work a candidate has done. A small gesture of praise can make a big difference. You can provide incentives or a reward to appreciate the work unicorns have done. Praising and thanking the employees can ensure continued employee engagement.

• Optimize the benefits

If you are thinking about wooing unicorn candidates, perks and benefits are the icings on the cake. A competitive benefit package is essential for employee satisfaction.

• Communicate frequently

Frequent communication with your employees is the best way to keep them engaged in the workplace. Lack of communication can be the reason for many problems. So have a talk with employees on a regular basis, and retain valued employees easily.

Summing it up

Hiring extraordinary applicants can boost your business growth at a scale. Moreover, recruiting the perfect candidates is essential for building a stable and robust workforce. Therefore, start seeking unicorns by using the mentioned tips. Get them on board, and retain them for higher business productivity. But one thing you need to remember is don’t overlook other deserving candidates in search of purple unicorns.