You’ve just received a job order which the client insists is a high priority, “must fill now” position.  However, the reality is that it has been sitting unfilled for the last six months in the middle of a recession. That’s the first sign that it’s probably a hard to fill job order.  Let’s take a look at how recruiters can identify and fix some of the most difficult to fill job orders that come across their desk:

1. If the job order has been sitting unfilled for more than a few months, then it’s probably a hard to fill job order. A recruiter facing this type of job order should take a thorough look at the job description and try to identify the most damaging problems.
2. The first problem of most hard to fill jobs is that they really are two (or sometimes three) jobs squeezed into one.  And as if that’s not bad enough, many of these double duty jobs have such a long and diverse list of requirements and responsibilities that it scares off the most competent job candidates.  When this is the case, take the time to explain to the hiring manager why you believe that the job order really can’t be filled with just one person.
3. Another problem that makes a job order hard to fill is that it may demand a lot of the new hire but give very little in terms of compensation.  A job that demands highly competent and experienced workers should also make sure they those workers are compensated properly.  Lowly paid job orders will remain unfilled even in the worse economies. And if they are filled, those new hires may not stay long.