The Absurdity of Hiring in White-Collar America: Searching for Unicorns in a Haystack

Let’s talk about the hiring landscape for white-collar roles in 2025. If you’ve been job hunting recently—or hiring—you know the drill: recruiters and hiring managers scour resumes looking for a "perfect" set of niche skills. “We’re looking for someone with 12 years of experience in this exact software, who has sold this widget, in this industry, using this process.

Who are they kidding? Unless there’s a factory somewhere cranking out cookie-cutter professionals with decades of hyper-specific experience in these weirdly narrow fields, it’s impossible. Worse, it’s asinine.

Experience is Overrated

Here’s a hard truth no one wants to admit: the product or service does matter—but it’s not everything. You don’t need 12 years of experience selling this explicit widget to crush it in business development, sales, or marketing. What you need is business acumen, adaptability, and a proven ability to sell ideas, build relationships, and execute strategy.

As someone who has managed teams, driven growth, and worked as both a leader and an individual contributor, I can tell you this: most people don’t walk into a new job knowing the exact ins and outs of the product, service, or process. And you know what? That’s fine! People learn. In fact, bringing in someone from outside the bubble often results in fresher, more creative approaches to solving problems.

When I was in the executive seat making hiring decisions, I often chose people with no direct experience in the sector—but with strong experience in adjacent areas. Why? Because you’re hiring the person, not just their past job titles. You’re hiring for their ability to think critically, adapt, and contribute to your organization in meaningful ways. Their specific sector knowledge? That’s trainable.

The "Book of Business" Myth

Here’s another thing that makes my blood boil: hiring managers expect sales and business development professionals to bring a pre-built “book of business.” Sure, that sounds great in theory—someone who walks in on day one with a Rolodex of ready-to-buy clients. But let me tell you something: no one worth their salt is dragging clients from company to company. The best professionals don’t just sell products; they sell companies, ideas, and themselves.

If your product or service isn’t top-notch—if it doesn’t have clear differentiators or a compelling value-add—then it doesn’t matter how many people your salesperson knows. They’re not going to perform miracles. Instead of focusing on who they know, focus on whether they have the skills to earn trust, build relationships, and bring your product to market in a way that resonates with customers.

The Problem with Hiring Managers

The real issue is that many hiring managers and recruiters fundamentally misunderstand what roles like sales, business development, and marketing are all about. They see job descriptions as shopping lists for unicorns: “We need someone who’s done this exact thing for 15 years.” But this rigid approach ignores the fact that industries evolve, products change, and the best professionals grow by stepping outside their comfort zones.

Want to hire great people? Look beyond the resume. Find candidates with transferable skills, a growth mindset, and a track record of delivering results in varied contexts. Don’t get hung up on whether they’ve sold widgets, gadgets, or gizmos before. If they’re good at what they do, they’ll learn your industry—and maybe even find better ways to approach it than someone who’s been stuck in the same sector for decades.

A Call for Change

It’s time to rethink how we hire. Stop searching for needles in haystacks and start hiring people. Focus on their potential, not just their past. Invest in training and development. Encourage cross-pollination between industries. And most importantly, trust that smart, driven professionals can and will learn your business—and probably make it better than you ever imagined.

Because at the end of the day, you don’t need someone who’s been selling the same widget for 12 years. You need someone who knows how to sell, manage, grow, lead, and adapt—someone who can take your business where it needs to go, not just where it’s been.