Are You a Unicorn Candidate? How To Be Someone Everyone Wants To Hire

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Any head of the company dreams that HR finds top specialists in the team. So that technical knowledge is at a high level, and so that new employees easily join the team from the first days. And also, to be proactive, move the company forward, bring tangible financial benefits, improve processes and develop others. Finding creative and responsible candidates who will treat the company as if it were their own is not easy. Statistics show the best candidates leave the market within 10 days. But it is even more difficult to keep them in the state of the company for a long time.

In this article, we will tell you who the unicorn candidates are and reveal the reasons why companies grow and develop so successfully by hiring a unicorn to the team.

Who Is a Unicorn Candidate?

Unicorn candidates are an HR term for outstanding employees who actively invest in the development of the company. Such candidates have the right set of skills, qualifications and experience, as well as high IQs, positive thinking, loyalty and high performance. This makes them more valuable than other candidates and employees. Hiring unicorns is not an easy task as there are too few of them.

According to statistics, 63% of recruiters consider the lack of talent their biggest problem. The task of executives and HR managers is to recognize their potential and direct talent in the right direction for the company. The main value for unicorns is freedom of expression.

7 Top Qualities of Unicorn Candidates

When working with unicorns, you need to be able to listen and hear. They can understand various tasks, even if it is outside the scope of their work. Unicorns are constantly looking for new horizons for growth and are ready to learn, so individual development paths are extremely important for them.

Having these qualities, they become versatile employees, thanks to which they are valuable employees for the company to which they belong.

1. Unicorns develop the workplace

Although such employees are very difficult to find, hiring them immediately makes it clear how great the benefits they bring to the workplace are. They can easily help bring a company's business or brand to a new, better level.

Unicorn employees help develop the workplace to improve the overall functioning of the company. They can also improve the Employee Value Proposition.

2. Unicorns have leadership skills

Hiring managers are always looking for candidates who can take on more and more new initiatives, which would bring great benefits to the company. They try to identify leadership qualities in such candidates at the very beginning. From a business point of view, an outstanding employee can see the picture holistically and comprehensively. Unicorns are quick to learn and actively listen to other team members and are endowed with team spirit and the ability to manage a team. They always encourage and motivate their colleagues to work more efficiently.

3. Unicorns can enhance a company's reputation

The company's reputation directly depends on the company's employees. The position of the company in the labour market and among competitors is primarily influenced by the results of the work of its employees. In this area, unicorns are the most effective employees. They bring great benefits to the company, improving its work.

4. Unicorns are not limited by their job title

Studies have shown that 75% of HR professionals believe their job seekers lack skills. Unicorns are not limited solely to their job responsibilities. The wider the outlook of a person, the more expert their decision is. Being a narrowly sharpened specialist is good, but at the same time, you need to know and understand how related business areas work.

Unicorns are always on the lookout for new knowledge and often lend a helping hand to colleagues in various tasks, even if this is not part of their duties. These qualities make them unique employees and valuable assets to the company they work for.

5. Unicorns think big and small

Unicorns destroy expectations. They always know what they want and have a clear plan on how to get it. They quickly navigate and are ready to quickly change direction if necessary. They can take a step back to see the whole picture, while still being aware of all the little things, bringing things to a logical conclusion. Strategic thinking is critical to the success of the company and the employee.

6. Unicorns are ready to mentor and be mentored

Unicorn employees differ from others in that they always clearly identify their strengths and identify areas for learning and improving skills. They are always actively listening to other team members who have new skills to build on the missing competencies. Unicorns are always ready to mentor the team and are also not afraid to be mentored.

7. Unicorns inspire and motivate

Unicorn employees raise the bar for themselves and their colleagues. By their example, they inspire other employees to a result that they will be proud of in the future. Unicorns always radiate positivity and this helps to turn everyday routine work into pleasant work for the benefit of the company.

How To Be Someone Everyone Wants To Hire

There is a lot of debate about whether unicorns are born or made. With a lot of effort, you can still become a one-man employee. Strong specialists are determined by a set of markers, patterns and behaviours, which in turn are not innate, but acquired by people throughout their lives.

So what exactly are the qualities and skills that a unicorn candidate should have?

• Master the BLT factor. BLT in this case means sympathy and reliability. You should develop a reputation that embodies these key traits. Build your personal brand. Your personal brand, like a signature, is part of self-identification and also pulls the company's image to the top in the labour market. 72% of recruiting leaders worldwide agreed that a candidate's brand has a significant impact on hiring.
• Be a team player. You are part of the team and the company as a whole. When working in a team, always respect its members. Always do your work on time and with quality, and help someone who needs it without fear of exceeding the limit of work duties.
• Go to networking events. Networking events organise meetings where professionals interact with each other to establish valuable connections. The events you attend may look different, but they all have the same goal - the establishment of professional connections by the participants.
• Be a problem solver. Solving word problems is part of the work of each employee, regardless of position. Therefore, you need to understand the process of solving possible problems and develop the necessary skills to solve problems.
• Have a strong work ethic. A strong work ethic is how you approach tasks within your job and your career. Having the right work ethic distinguishes those who achieve the desired success and high results from those who fail and achieve average results.
• Be professional. The main qualities that make you practically invaluable are your professionalism and responsibility. Negotiate your salary like a pro and take your responsibilities seriously. Regardless of the problems that arise along the way, do your job efficiently and on time.

How Can Mentorship Help To Become a Unicorn?

The goal of mentoring is to maximise the full potential of the personality of the future unicorn. It is necessary for successful personal and professional self-realisation, through the creation of conditions for the formation of an effective system of support, self-determination and professional orientation of a student employee.

Research shows that 66% of business leaders agree that strategic mentoring programs create new talent. Mentors can be of great help to candidates in their professional development, acquiring the professional competencies necessary to fulfil their responsibilities and become a valuable asset to any company, especially in complex and quickly developing cases like for instance digital forensics jobs, AI, ML and data science positions.

Conclusion

Unicorns are quite real, but unfortunately very rare representatives of the labour market, regardless of the field of activity. Great luck to find and keep such an employee in the company. Unicorn employees contribute to increasing the profits of the company. Very often, such employees are poached by other companies that offer better working conditions. Unicorns are not born. Through determination, motivation and hard work, you can develop the necessary abilities that will help any employee become a unicorn.

This article was guest written by Tania Doshko.