You’re ready to recruit. You’ve prepared your job description, shaped a contract and built a picture of your ideal candidate. But the moment you start searching, you realise that the talent pool is much smaller than expected
This challenge is particularly common when recruiting for roles that require very specific qualifications, industry knowledge, or technical expertise. For sales and marketing managers, this issue is becoming more frequent. As customer expectations evolve and product ranges diversify, businesses often need specialists who bring expertise in emerging markets, digital tools, or sustainability – skills that aren’t always easy to find. So, how do you uncover potential employees when the skills you need are scarce?
Tapping into Passive Candidates
The best candidate for your role may not be actively looking for a job. That’s why one of the most effective approaches to niche recruitment is targeting passive candidates. These are professionals who are already in employment, often excelling in their current roles, and therefore unlikely to be browsing job boards.
Sales and marketing managers should look to build relationships rather than pushing job ads. Engage with potential candidates on platforms like LinkedIn and follow their career journey. Look at the professional circles they move in – colleagues, collaborators and rising talent in their networks. This not only puts you on the radar of the candidate but also opens doors to others with similar skillsets.
Looking Beyond Your Industry
Sometimes the expertise you need won’t be found within your sector at all. That’s where looking at adjacent industries becomes invaluable. Skills in data analysis, customer experience, e-commerce, or supply chain management, for example, can translate seamlessly into the workplace supplies and services industry.
Recruiters should ask: where else do these skills exist, and how can we make our sector appealing to those who might not have considered it? With the right onboarding and upskilling, someone from a related industry could transition quickly and bring fresh perspectives that benefit your business.
Building Partnerships for Long-Term Talent
Relying solely on external recruitment for niche roles can leave you vulnerable to market shortages. A more sustainable approach is to collaborate with external partners to build a long-term talent pipeline.
Universities, specialist bootcamps and industry associations are excellent starting points. Partnering with these organisations allows you to access emerging talent before they hit the wider market. Sponsorships, guest lectures, or internship programmes help position your business as an attractive career destination. By getting involved early, you can shape the skills of candidates to better match your business needs, while securing loyalty from employees who feel invested in from the beginning.
Growing Talent from Within
When the external market can’t provide what you need, the answer might already be sitting inside your business. Internal training pipelines are a powerful way to develop niche skills without competing in crowded recruitment markets.
For sales and marketing managers, this could mean identifying team members who have the potential to specialise, then providing them with targeted training or mentorship. For example, an account manager with strong analytical skills could be developed into a pricing strategist, or a salesperson passionate about sustainability could become your in-house sustainability lead.
Shaping Recruitment Strategy Around Scarcity
Recruiting for niche roles is undeniably challenging, but it also presents an opportunity for businesses in workplace supplies and services to rethink their approach. Instead of relying solely on job ads and traditional hiring practices, sales and marketing managers can blend a mix of strategies. In industries where the right people are hard to find, creativity and foresight in recruitment become competitive advantages. The businesses that succeed will be those that don’t wait for perfect candidates to come knocking but instead take a proactive approach to finding and developing them.
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