I've written before about purple squirrels. At my current job, I've determined that even this elusive creature will not satisfy some of our hiring managers. They are seeking rainbow unicorns. Let me explain.
We have been in drastic need of trade X at my employer since before I was hired. At the time I started working to staff these openings in January, Dept. A needed 4, Dept. B 3, and Dept. C 1. Since these are all the same positions, just in different areas, when we interview candidates at least one person from each department attends. If multiple departments want the same candidate, we prioritize based on need. As of last week, I have filled Dept. C's 1 spot and Dept. B's 3 spots plus 1 additional opening that was created. You'll notice I left out Dept. A. That's because they have not liked a single candidate. Meanwhile, I am getting feedback from departments B&C about how well their new hires, aka the people not good enough for Dept. A, are doing. After one interview in my frustration I told my boss "They aren't looking for purple squirrels. Squirrels are at least real. They are looking for purple unicorns." One of my coworkers laughed. I was talking about the situation with two members from Dept. B., aka the department that has hired 4 of trade x in 5 month, and one of them told me "they aren't looking for a purple unicorn, they're looking for a rainbow unicorn." Another person from the department contributed how you catch a rainbow unicorn- with a golden lasso!
This week the unthinkable happened- Dept. A interviewed a candidate and liked him enough to offer him a job. When I got back to the HR department I told my boss "we used our golden lasso and caught a rainbow unicorn." She did not need a translation. She was, however, as shocked as I was. And even better, the candidate accepted our offer. If I was a gambler, I would have bought a lottery ticket.
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