The Roles You Keep Calling “Unfillable” Aren’t

There is a particular type of role we see repeatedly in Canberra.

The advertisement has been live (more than once).
You have briefed multiple recruiters.
You have interviewed a handful of “maybes”.
Months later, the position is still open and people have quietly started calling it “unfillable”.

In most cases, it is not.
What is happening instead is that a genuinely challenging role is being run through a light‑touch process. A strategic hire is being treated like a routine vacancy. In a small, connected market like Canberra, that is a quick way to lose momentum – and the candidates you actually need.

 

Contingent recruitment was not designed for this work

Most organisations default to contingent recruitment because it is familiar.

You brief a few agencies.
They go to market.
They are only paid if they place someone.

For straightforward roles with a wide talent pool, that model can work. For complex, senior or highly specialised searches, it frequently does not.

Common issues include:

  • Limited accountability for the outcome – if the search becomes difficult, focus shifts elsewhere

  • Time and effort flowing to “easier” briefs where a quick placement appears more likely

  • Activity tapering off as soon as the first round of obvious candidates declines

You are left with a few advertisements, a small stack of CVs, and the impression that “the market is tough right now”.

The reality is that the talent often exists. The model being used simply is not built to find them.

 

Retained recruitment: same market, different approach

Retained recruitment is not just a different commercial arrangement. It is a different way of running the search.

When a client engages us on a retained basis, they are not paying for volume.

They are investing in time, focus and depth:

  • A genuine discovery phase that goes beyond the position description

  • Structured market mapping, not just advertising and hoping

  • Direct outreach to people who are not actively applying

  • Sustained momentum once the “obvious” candidates have been spoken to

Because our time is properly resourced, we can remain engaged in the search when contingent models have already stepped away.

It is not about magic. It is about accountability and process.

 

Why this matters in Canberra

All of this lands differently in Canberra.

This is a city where:

  • The strongest candidates are already in substantive roles and not scanning job boards

  • Reputation travels quickly when a process feels disorganised or transactional

  • The same names move between government, private sector, NFP and higher education – and remember how they were treated at each step

In that context, a retained search sends a clear signal:

  • The organisation is serious about the hire, not simply “testing the market”

  • A considered process will be followed, rather than a rushed series of interviews

  • A partner has been engaged who understands the Canberra market and its dynamics

Candidates notice that. So do internal stakeholders.

 

What a well‑run retained search looks like

Done properly, a retained search is structured and deliberate, not slow.

 

1. A real brief, not just a title

We clarify:

  • Why the role exists now

  • What success looks like at 6 and 12 months

  • Where previous attempts have stalled (if they have)

  • The true non‑negotiables versus the wish list

That work is often skipped. It is also where many problems begin.

 

2. Market mapping before going public

We identify:

  • Professionals doing similar work in Canberra

  • Adjacent profiles who could grow into the role

  • Talent outside the APS who could bring a different perspective in

An advertisement may still be used, but it becomes one channel among several, not the strategy on its own.

 

3. Conversations, not just applications

The best hire you make this year is unlikely to be actively job hunting.
They need context, not a link.

Retained work allows us to have those conversations: to explain the role properly, understand what would make a move worthwhile, and de‑risk the decision for both sides.

 

4. Constructive challenge when it is required

Because the engagement is a partnership, we can provide honest feedback when:

  • The remuneration does not align with the brief

  • The hiring process is causing candidates to disengage

  • The “perfect fit” profile does not exist and the brief needs to evolve

That is about protecting the outcome, not creating friction.

 

When to shift from contingent to retained

Not every role requires a retained model. It becomes a strong option when:

  • The role has been open for an extended period without a successful appointment

  • Previous rounds have produced “almost right” candidates but no clear hire

  • The position is high‑impact, senior, specialist or politically sensitive

  • Discretion is critical and a public campaign is not appropriate

  • The talent pool is small and highly networked, as it often is in Canberra

In those situations, another generic advertisement is unlikely to change the result. A different approach will.

 

The real risk is not the retainer

It is easy to view a retainer as an additional cost.

Less visible – until it is felt – is the cost of leaving a critical role vacant for another quarter:

  • Pressure on teams who are carrying extra workload

  • Projects slowed, paused or shelved

  • Candidates who have a poor experience and disengage from your brand

  • A reputation impact in a market that pays attention to how organisations hire

Against that backdrop, a properly structured retained search is less a premium and more a form of risk management.

 

How we approach retained searches at Elliott Gray

At Elliott Gray, “retained” is not a buzzword. It describes the level of work we believe certain roles require.

  • We invest the time to understand your organisation and where this role fits within it

  • We design a process that mirrors the significance of the hire

  • We remain accountable from initial brief through to post‑placement follow‑up

We are selective about the retained engagements we accept, because in a market this close‑knit, a poorly run search reflects on everyone involved – including us.

If you have started to describe a role as “unfillable”, it may be time to retire that word – and reconsider the process behind it.