Purple squirrel refers to the candidate who perfectly fits the job requirements like skills, qualifications and experience. This phenomenon is described as purple squirrel because it is rare to find such a candidate who fits all the boxes. Purple squirrels are basically mythic creatures in the world of hiring, but when spotted they should be hired immediately.
It is tough for recruiters to come across candidates that are purple squirrels but hiring them has a lot of advantages:
Purple squirrel theory suggests that sometimes employers may spend an abnormal amount of time trying to find the perfect candidate (purple squirrel). However, sometimes recruiters need to compromise and be realistic while looking for candidates in a role.
Pink squirrels are candidates who already have a job but are the perfect fit for a role that the recruiter is searching for. Pink squirrels are not actively looking for a job which makes it hard to hire them.
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