Mid-Sized Companies Hiring Challenges: Win the Talent War

In today's hyper-competitive talent market, mid-sized companies hiring challenges are more complex than most business leaders realise. The biggest challenge? They're not household names.

While the big enterprise players can attract candidates on brand recognition alone, SMEs often struggle to get noticed despite being innovative, high-performing, and fast-growing.

While the big enterprise players can attract candidates on brand recognition alone, mid-market companies - despite being innovative, high-performing, and fast-growing - often struggle to get noticed. A lot of talent acquisition issues stem from this fundamental visibility problem. As Rob Blythe, co-founder of Instant Impact, puts it: "A lot of our clients aren't household names, but they are absolutely exceptional in their own field."

So why do these mid-sized companies hiring challenges matter? And more importantly, what can you do about it?

The Visibility Gap

Here's the thing - mid-sized companies often work in niche sectors or B2B spaces where their brand is well-known to customers, but completely invisible to job seekers. This creates a visibility gap that hits hiring hard:

• Fewer people applying for your roles
• It takes ages to fill positions
• You end up relying heavily on recruitment agencies
• Attracting passive talent becomes a real struggle

Even when your company culture, mission, and growth story are genuinely compelling, candidates just don't know you exist. In the mid-market, you require a strategic approach.

The EVP Advantage

The first step in addressing mid-sized companies hiring challenges? Nail down a clear and compelling Employee Value Proposition (EVP). But here's the key - it's not about sounding impressive, it's about being authentic and targeted.

"It's not just about having a good offering," Rob explains. "It's about having the right offering for the right people - and being upfront about who you're not suited for."

This kind of clarity helps mid-sized businesses stand out to candidates who'll actually thrive in their environment, rather than trying to please everyone. For more insights on building effective talent strategies, check out Harvard Business Review's talent acquisition research.

From Reactive to Proactive Hiring

Many hiring challenges stem from getting stuck in a reactive hiring cycle - constantly firefighting to fill roles that have been open for months. This is where having a proper go-to-market talent strategy makes all the difference.

Rob suggests a two-pronged approach that directly tackles these:

Quick Wins

• Get your job advertising spot on
• Actively hunt down and approach talent
• Fill those urgent roles fast with the right support

Building for the Future

• Create and nurture talent pools
• Use tech to keep potential candidates engaged
• Plan ahead for your hiring needs

Making this shift from reactive to proactive is what turns a mid-sized business into a genuine talent magnet. The Society for Human Resource Management offers additional resources on proactive hiring strategies.

The Role of Embedded Partners

Let's be honest - most of the challenges persist because they don't have the internal resources to pull this off alone. That's where embedded talent partners come in, bringing the expertise, tools, and scale you need to compete with the big players.

Whether it's a full RPO setup or targeted support around your lean internal team, the goal stays the same: build a hiring machine that matches your business ambition.

The Bottom Line

Overcoming challenges in hiring doesn't mean you have to settle for second-choice talent. With the right approach, messaging, and support, you can seriously punch above your weight in the talent market.

Because at the end of the day, it's not about being a household name - it's about being the perfect fit for the right people.

Drop us a message for our talent solutions to help mid-market businesses win the war on talent.