Rethinking Talent Gaps: Is It a Shortage or a Misalignment?

Have you ever encountered a job posting on your company’s forum seeking external referrals, only to realize it perfectly matches your skills or those of a teammate? Well, then, you are not alone! Often, companies spend money within their existing talent pool. This raises two pertinent questions: Why did hiring fail when internal talent stood ready to fill the gaps? Are we short on talent, or do we simply have a misaligned view of it? 

Rigid Requirements

Every organization prides itself on its recruiting prowess, yet most fall into a familiar trap. A hiring manager reads a long list of ‘must-have’ skills, experience with specific platforms, certifications, and a decade in the field, and anything less is instantly disqualified. Meanwhile, curious candidates who lack one or two bullet points but possess the aptitude and drive to learn never make it past the first screen. We treat job descriptions like ironclad contracts instead of starting points for conversation. What is the result? A talent shortage becomes the default narrative, and the costs, time, and morale all spiral in unwanted directions. 

But what if that shortage is largely self-inflicted? What if the actual gap lies not in the marketplace, but in our definitions?

Think of skills as colors on a palette. We sometimes insist on pure red and refuse any shade that veers toward orange, even though that slight difference might perfectly suit our canvas. A data analyst with scripted Python automation may lack formal machine-learning credentials but could master them in weeks of hands-on work. A customer-success lead fluent in relationship-building may not have an MBA, but she understands the analytics that underpin churn reduction. Insisting on exact matches ignores adjacent capabilities and cements the illusion of scarcity.

Can they be trained?

I once sat with a team leader who lamented her inability to hire front-end developers. Her recruiter calls went nowhere. Yet, two doors down, a back-end engineer taught herself React on weekends and quietly built prototypes for her side projects. She never applied because the job ad demanded ‘5+ years React experience.’ When that engineer finally heard about the opening through a colleague, she stepped in with confidence, and within months, she was mentoring others. This example illustrates how misalignment masquerades as shortage: we push high-potential people aside for the perfect resume.

Breaking out of this mindset begins with humility. We must ask: Which skills truly matter on day one, and which can be learned in three months of guided work? For a role that requires data storytelling, the ability to connect numbers to narrative might trump mastery of a particular BI tool. For a leadership position, the capacity to inspire teams may outweigh the number of direct reports managed in the past.

Did you know about your hidden talent reservoir?

Not all skills are fungible, as certain technical niches or regulatory domains do demand deep expertise. Yet even there, misalignment creeps in. Organizations often treat developers, analysts, and managers as distinct species when in fact, many core competencies, critical thinking, communication, and problem decomposition are universal. We fail to recognize that a systems architect’s knack for unraveling complex dependencies mirrors the puzzle-solving required in cybersecurity. A seasoned marketer’s understanding of buyer psychology overlaps with product-management user research. By mapping these common threads, we discover a hidden reservoir of talent.

Developing this broader view takes intentional effort. A simple place to start is an internal skills inventory. Instead of cataloging only formal roles, invite employees to self-report on adjacent interests and informal learning, courses they took, side projects they’ve built, and communities they participate in. When the next opening arises, search that inventory first. You’ll find people eager to stretch into new realms, people whose raw potential has gone unnoticed.

A Shift in The Hiring Process

Bridging misalignment also demands a shift in the hiring process. Imagine a two-stage interview: the first explores core mindset and problem-solving approaches, and the second dives into specific technical or domain tasks. If a candidate demonstrates the right attitude and cognitive flexibility in stage one, you give them a chance on stage two, treating tool proficiency as trainable. That small change accelerates internal mobility and signals that the organization values growth over static checkboxes.

One multinational bank experimented with this model when facing a gap in digital-banking expertise. They invited a cohort of customer-service veterans into week-long ‘banking boot camps’ alongside external candidates. By the end, two of the highest performers were internal hires, employees who had proven their aptitude, understood company policies and their ways of working, and earned specialized training immediately afterward. The bank not only filled roles but also strengthened loyalty by investing in people who’d already demonstrated commitment to the company.

Make Learning Agility A Core Value

Beyond process tweaks, cultural mindset shifts anchor alignment. Leaders must champion ‘learning agility’ as a core value. When someone volunteers to tackle a new certification or mentors a teammate in a fresh tool, recognize that effort publicly. Make internal transfers aspirational rather than stigmatized. Frame cross-functional moves as opportunities for growth, not as stopgaps for unfilled positions. This cultural reinforcement encourages employees to raise their hands and managers to look inward before dialing the recruiter.

It might help to celebrate ‘near misses,’ stories of employees who nearly moved into a new role and, with a bit more support, would have excelled. Share these narratives alongside traditional success stories. They normalize imperfect fits and highlight the journey of learning, encouraging others to explore beyond their comfort zones.

Apply Fresh Metrics

Measuring realignment progress requires fresh metrics. Instead of obsessing over time-to-fill, track internal mobility rates: the percentage of vacancies filled by existing employees. Monitor ramp-up time for internal versus external hires when internal movers reach proficiency faster; that’s alignment in action. Survey employees on perceived career flexibility: if more people feel they can move horizontally or diagonally, your framework is broadening. Don’t forget retention among cross-trained talent; if those rates rise, it indicates alignment is both effective and satisfying.

Conclusion

By reframing talent ‘shortages’ as misalignments, organizations unlock a wealth of opportunity. You can convert passive pools of potential into active engines of growth. You also reduce recruitment costs, deepen institutional memory, and foster loyalty. Most importantly, you send a clear message: we believe in your ability to grow, and we’ll invest in that journey.

Next time you scratch your head over an unfilled role, pause before doubling down on job boards. Look instead to the vibrant, adaptable people already around you. Ask how roles can evolve to match their strengths and how they can evolve to meet your needs. In that space of mutual alignment, talent gaps fade away, replaced by a dynamic ecosystem where skills flow freely and every person has room to shine!