You’ve got an internal recruiting team. You’ve done the intake meeting.
The job’s posted. The pipeline is active.
And yet… you’re still not seeing the right candidates.
One of the most common bottlenecks I hear from technical hiring managers sounds like this:
“We don’t really know how to assess candidates for this role.”
And honestly, it makes total sense.
Roles like these often require specialized technical expertise that generalist recruiters — even very strong internal ones — simply haven’t had a reason to develop.
Think about it:
- A cloud infrastructure architect with migration experience across hybrid environments
- A cybersecurity leader who can bridge the gap between technical risk and executive reporting
- A D365 expert who understands both finance and manufacturing workflows
These aren’t surface-level hires. And if no one on your team has done that kind of work before, how can they be expected to confidently screen for it?
Why This Happens — And What To Do About It
Most internal talent teams are set up to manage scale, not necessarily specialization. They’re tasked with high-volume recruiting across multiple departments and roles, and they do a great job keeping the machine moving.
But niche tech roles don’t fit neatly into that process.
When no one internally knows what “good” looks like in a specialized domain, one of two things tends to happen:
- The wrong candidates move forward — because the red flags weren’t obvious until the final interview.
- Strong candidates are missed — because their resumes didn’t match a keyword checklist.
Both cost time. Both create frustration. And neither gets you closer to a great hire.
A Better Way to Fill the Gaps
The good news? This is a solvable problem — and it doesn’t require overhauling your team.
Many companies address it by bringing in external specialists who can act as a filter: people who understand the technical depth of the role, the hiring context, and how to ask the right questions before you bring someone in for a panel interview.
That kind of support can free up your internal team, reduce interview fatigue, and help your hiring managers make better decisions — faster.
It’s not about replacing your internal process. It’s about knowing when (and where) to supplement it.
TL;DR:
If your internal team is great at recruiting — but stretched thin or unsure how to evaluate niche technical roles — it might be time to bring in a partner who’s been down that road before.
Because the cost of a bad hire isn’t just financial.
It’s strategic.
And in today’s tech environment, you can’t afford to get it wrong
By Jessica Werlinger | Paradigm Group