Unicorns, over at least the last 10 years or so have been used as a way to describe the kinds of people organizations are looking attract and exemplify the kind of culture an organization is fostering. Unicorns are:
- Unique
- Magical
- Whimsical
- Innocent
- Pure
- Powerful
Unicorns also aren’t real
All of the traits above are great and many people have many of them. Some are lucky enough to have all of them and more. However, this also sets up both the hiring manager and the candidate in a predicament:
- Qualified candidates can be made to feel less-than when they consider themselves “normal”
- Hiring managers can be setting up/set up with false expectations of who they should be looking for
My opinion is that we all still aim for the stars, but we describe what be need and want in more plain and realistic terms.