4 ways to find hidden gems in the talent market

Hiring is lonely, especially when candidates seem to be nonexistent. But some of the best ones aren’t gone—they’re hidden in the talent market.

Article posted on Jul 1, 2025

Articles Employers General Beacon Hill Hiring Insights

If you've been wondering how to fill your pipeline as skills gaps widen and talent droughts increase, you're not alone. We'll show you some smart places to look in the talent market that you may not have considered.

1. Look for candidates in unexpected & non-traditional industries


"Times they are a-changin" in many industries. Technology-focused companies are conducting regular layoffs and the federal sector is making sweeping cuts. This could be your moment to find strong talent that wouldn't have otherwise considered your role!

One smart place to start is to take inventory of all the needed skills to perform your role and then ask your recruitment partner if other industries have talent you can tap into.

At Beacon Hill, we have eight Divisions to help find talent.


Whether you're seeking a legal administrative assistant, quality assurance engineer, CEO or graphic designer, we've helped place them all.
 

2. Go all-in on skills-first hiring


Removing hiring barriers

With the many hiring shortages and talent gaps, now is a good time to consider championing earned skills over typical requirements.

Per Indeed's "Global snapshot: Skills-first hiring in action," just 13% of employers have removed or reduced years of experience requirements and a similar 13% have removed degree requirements in favor of skills-first hiring.1 Removing degree and experience requirements where you can is an opportunity for you to be forward thinking and more strategic in your hiring.

Supporting this argument is the article, "A Beginner’s Guide to Skills-First Hiring" which states that, 'Four-year degree requirements in the U.S. alone screen out half of the workforce — 70 million–plus people.'2 In a time when hires are harder and harder to find, can anyone afford to turn away 50% of people?


Technology companies as a case study

Did you know that certain industries thrive on skills-first hiring? Tech titans are pioneers of the hiring practice. Deloitte, Google, Apple, IBM, Accenture and more are great examples of this.3

If anyone is on the cusp of innovation and therefore innovative hiring practices, it's the companies driving our day-to-day technological experiences. We recommend you take note.
 

3. Consider fresh talent


Give new or shifting talent a chance! They offer unique perspectives and are hungry for opportunities. If you let them, they can be highly engaged and very successful.

By the way, this is another group of individuals to consider skills-first hiring for. Just because someone may have graduated recently or is new to the space, doesn't mean they don't come with a group of specific, relevant, helpful skills that could benefit your bottom line. Just make sure to ask questions and see how they apply their earned knowledge.
 

4. Reach out to retirees


Lots of people are retiring earlier than in the past.4 Not all of them want to retire though! While some of them have disabilities that are motivating them to move out of the job market, other people are simply not in agreement with organizational changes. Those people may want a new opportunity, but are likely not seeking it out. You could find a lot of value if you can connect with retirees, especially recent, younger ones who have just left the talent market.

This method may take a bit of grassroots networking. You could seek out retirement posts on LinkedIn and contact them via InMail. You could ask you personal network about recent retirements. And of course, you could just keep your ear to the ground and wait for people you know personally to see if they may be open to another challenge. With the cost of living increasing in certain areas, many may be willing take you up on your offer.

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Where will you be looking first? There's a lot of potential talent just waiting for you to find it.

Need some help looking? Partner with us. We've got you!

Sources and inspiration

  1. Global snapshot: Skills-first hiring in action
  2. A Beginner’s Guide to Skills-First Hiring
  3. Tech companies ditch degree requirements, focus on skills
  4. Planning to retire at 65? Most Americans stop working years earlier — and not because they want to.
  5. Ways to build your soft skills bench
  6. What declining industries mean for hiring in 2024-25
  7. Top hard and soft skills each of our Divisions search for
  8. Using soft skills and hard skills to follow a non-linear career path
     

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