Everybody loves unicorns, right? But perhaps no one loves them more than tech companies.

When hiring for a professional, we have an ideal vision of who we are looking for. A professional with X years of experience in Y stack and that speaks Z languages totally as a native. Klingon is a differential, of course.

But is it possible to find these candidates? Well, being completely honest. Yes, it is.

But that brings up another question. Do you have time and budget for this hunt?

Professionals that fulfill all the requirements of the market, not surprisingly, are already hired and working in a company that very often pays very well to keep them there. So if you are looking to hire these people you have few alternatives.

– Being an incredible and revolutionary company with an amazing culture

– Have a TON of money to dump on hiring

– Have time to find someone that is not getting the amount of money that deserves or is unsatisfied with their workplaces.

And believe me, for a tech company, time is the most valuable resource and you don’t want to waste it.

And if you are hiring someone just by paying more, are you sure that this person will not leave if someone covers your offer? No matter how much you pay, there is always someone with more resources willing to pay more. You need to have something different to stop losing your team.

If you are okay with it, you can pursue this mythical professional and even succeed. As an expert in hiring, my company has made it several times, and I warn you, it takes time even if you know all the shortcuts.

But here is the moment for the little secret of the article.

There are TONS of unicorns in the market. And sometimes even they are not aware of what they are.

Here is the trick. Instead of hiring based exclusively on the skillset and experience, try to have a different approach and look also for the potential of the professional.

You can nurture your own unicorn, shaping a professional that is perfect for your business just by providing training and growth opportunities. In a few months, you will have someone that understands your business and has practical knowledge of the tech needed to make it work. And that is just the beginning.

When hiring for potential, you give someone an opportunity and a vow of confidence that creates a deep bond between this professional and the company, and it decreases drastically the turn-over in your business.

Of course, that money is important and you should pay well the people that are making your business grow, but those tokens of appreciation and trust play a big role when someone is trying to steal this professional from you.

Don’t think about investing in your team as a waste of resources because they can leave. You should be far more afraid of not investing and having them stay anyway.

When hiring, think of it as you think about your business. Focusing in the long run. Nurturing a team is a far better investment than hiring a full team that is just ready to go, and ready to leave.

So, are you looking for an unicorn?