Applicants Aren’t Candidates

Why So Many Hiring Processes Fail Before They Begin

Overheard in a corridor the other day. A hiring manager was speaking to their Talent Acquisition Partner:
“None of the CVs you sent me are suitable.”
The TA partner replied: “But they’re the best applications we received. . . .”

That’s the problem. They got applicants. What they needed were candidates.

This isn’t semantics. It’s the root of why so many hiring processes go sideways.

An applicant is someone who wants the job.
A candidate is someone who can do the job.

If you don’t start with that distinction, you’re already recruiting blind.

The First Mistake: Relying on Position Descriptions

Most hiring processes begin with the position description (PD) ‘on file’. That’s the first mistake.

PDs are often outdated, bloated, and full of generic tasks. They’re written to tick boxes, not to define success.

To find great candidates you need to start with a clear, current definition of the role. Not the job title. Not the PD. The actual role. Let’s distinguish it by calling it a Recruiting Profile.

What a Recruiting Profile Should Contain

1. Context: What environment will this role operate in? Think PESTLE: political, economic, social, tech, legal, environmental. Is the business in growth mode? Is the market consolidating? Competitor challenges? Are there regulatory headwinds?

2. Challenges: What are the top 3–4 challenges the role is facing? These should be expressed in outcomes-based terms. For example:

   • Open a new warehouse on time and within budget.

   • Turn around the profit performance of Division X.

   • Lead a transformation to reduce costs by 20% in two years.

   These are the real tests of the role. If you can’t define them, you can’t hire for them.

3. Critical Experience: What 2–3 things must the person have done before? Not nice-to-haves. Must-haves. If they haven’t done it, they’re not a candidate.

4. Certifications: Are there any non-negotiables? CPA? Legal registration? Security clearance?

5. Career Trajectory: What roles might this lead to if done well? If the person doesn’t find that future motivating, they’re not a fit.

If you don’t define the role like this, TA can’t source effectively. They’ll advertise a role that doesn’t exist. And great candidates? They won’t apply.

Why Great Candidates Don’t Apply

Your advertisement, if based on a poor PD, is speaking only to the unhappy and the unemployed.

LinkedIn’s own research confirms it: more often than not, great candidates are passive candidates. They aren’t looking. You have to go out and find them.

Redefining What Makes a Candidate

A candidate is someone who can demonstrate:

• Their background aligns with the context, challenges, experience, and certifications.

• They find the future career path motivating.

• In other words they meet the benchmark.

If they can’t show that, they’re not a candidate. They’re just another applicant.

To Shift From Quantity to Quality:

1. Managers: Do the thinking. Do the work. Search for some people who are doing the role in respected organisations. What accomplishments or experience do they have in common? Write a one-page Recruitment Profile using the five elements above. No fluff. No jargon. Just clarity. You are creating a benchmark for TA to meet.

2. TA Teams: Use the Recruitment Profile to build a sourcing strategy, not just a job ad. Think outreach, not advertising. If you are advertising, ask applicants to demonstrate how their background aligns with the requirements of the role. If they can demonstrate that, then they move from being an applicant to a candidate. Only show the hiring manager candidates.

3. Everyone: Stop confusing volume with quality. 50 applicants mean nothing if you don’t have candidates.

Final Word: Stop Recruiting Blind

Hiring isn’t about filtering CVs. It’s about defining success, then finding people who can deliver it.

Applicants are easy to find. Candidates take work.

*The unhappy and the unemployed? This is not meant as a pejorative statement. Most of us have been one or both during our careers. And yes, a great candidate might be in this group but if the only people you are talking to are the ones trawling the job boards for something better, you will have more applicants than candidates.

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Justin Miles

Manager Partner, Melbourne at Generator Talent

Justin is the Managing Partner of our Melbourne office, an outcome focused leader with a track record of driving business performance through proven talent and organisation development practices. Justin’s methods and skills have been shaped by working with performance oriented leaders in great companies including PepsiCo, The Campbell Soup Company, Diageo, Rip Curl, Fonterra and Wesfarmers, in Australia, the USA and Latin America.