Unicorn Talent: Sometimes a Project Match Is Pure Magic

A unicorn talent is a recruiter’s dream—a perfect-fit applicant with fantastically relevant work experience, a treasure chest brimming with applicable skills, a quest for knowledge, and a vision to improve the whole company. Though they might sound too good to be true, unicorn talent are real. They rarely turn up in job searches and are seldom seen in the wild, but don’t let anyone tell you they’re just a fairy tale.

Though unicorn talent are hard to locate and even harder to attract, Business Talent Group (BTG) frequently helps companies find them. In our global marketplace of high-end independent talent enchanted by the opportunity to apply their abilities to critical projects, unicorns actually turn up quite frequently.

Finding Just the Right Talent Unicorn

Specific skills plus language and location requirements:
A rare disease specialist fluent in the project location's language

Once upon a time, an F100 pharmaceutical company came to BTG seeking a very niche talent indeed. In an effort to inform its Rare Diseases commercial strategy within a specific country, the company was looking to gain a deeper understanding of the current competitive landscape and market access scenarios for a set of pharmaceutical assets. Needing a skilled market landscape consultant who could fluently speak the country's primary language and work on-site, the company reached out to BTG. Lo and behold, BTG’s Talent Solutions team was able to find a true unicorn talent who not only met the language and location requirements, but also brought deep rare disease expertise, as well as big-firm consulting experience developing pharma commercial strategies.

Niche knowledge and experience:
An international regulatory agency process expert in the disinfectant, sanitation, and hygiene segments

In response to soaring demand for disinfectants, a global consumer goods company wanted to focus on developing household products suited to the pandemic environment. The company’s CEO reached out to BTG looking for support in navigating regulatory agency approvals for these products. The company needed a regulatory unicorn—an expert in traversing the rocky terrain of EPA and FDA processes that companies must follow when developing such products. The ideal talent would also have international experience in order to launch globally. BTG delivered a seasoned regulatory and strategy wizard with U.S. and global experience in the consumer goods and chemical manufacturing sectors. He was able to translate the regulatory processes and requests to business requirements, ensuring the client could move with great haste through submissions and approvals.

Cross-functional specialization:
A talent acquisition specialist located in New Jersey with experience in modernizing manufacturing recruitment processes

A global plastics manufacturer was embarking on a quest to assess and modernize its manufacturing plant recruitment processes in order to rapidly—and digitally—source, interview, hire, and onboard employees in the suddenly all-remote pandemic reality. Thus, the company needed a consultant with experience in both HR operations and process improvement, and a true unicorn talent would also possess manufacturing recruiting experience and be located in the New Jersey area. BTG delivered a local senior human resources executive with talent acquisition, change management, and organizational effectiveness expertise spanning across multiple industries and functions, including consumer goods and pharmaceutical manufacturing. She was able to conduct a thorough assessment of the recruiting process and related metrics—from sourcing and interviewing to hiring and onboarding.

Project management paired with focused expertise:
A project manager with CMMC expertise to prepare and advise a Department of Defense contractor

As part of an acquisition, a large industrial goods company was integrating a smaller company that held a U.S. Department of Defense contract. As such, the larger company needed to obtain Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). Looking for a skilled project manager with deep experience in DoD planning and extensive knowledge of CMMC, the company’s integration management leadership sought out BTG. BTG delivered the ideal unicorn talent—a skilled security strategy, operations, and compliance consultant with experience helping companies level up for CMMC certification.

It’s No Myth

Perhaps you need a unicorn talent who possesses experience with highly specialized projects or niche industries. Or maybe you require talent with high-demand skills that aren’t available in the full-time realm. Whatever your needs, don’t venture out on your talent search alone. BTG is built to serve unicorn talent needs, so you can get the work done and live happily ever after.

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