I'm Struggling to Fill a Role
Fill your role
From zero applications to spoilt for choice.
Can't find the right people?
When a position stays unfilled, it’s rarely “bad luck”. More often, there’s a clear cause, and once you uncover it, you can address it.
We help you identify what’s not working and change the outcome.
The Situation
Why do hard to fill roles not attract the right candidates?
The real reasons (from experience).
In most cases, it comes down to:
- Salary not aligned with the market
- Job ads that don’t explain the role clearly
- Unrealistic expectations
- Limited visibility to the right candidates
- Poor or slow hiring process
- Lack of employer brand awareness
Very few roles are truly unfillable.
Meridian can help diagnose what's causing your vacancy to sit empty. We'll also help you fix it and find the ideal candidate for your role.
What Meridian Can Do
Our approach to hard-to-fill roles
Diagnosis
We review your current approach, analysing job description, salary, visibility and process. We diagnose what's wrong.
Job optimisation
We rewrite your job description, making it more compelling and clear.
Salary benchmarking
We tell you what the market is paying and whether you're competitive.
Market insights
We tell you what's happening in your talent market, including availability, trends and candidate priorities.
Active recruitment
We don't just post and wait. We actively search our networks, contact candidates, run campaigns.
Process management
We manage the process across interviews, feedback, offers and negotiations.
Job Description
How Do You Fix the Job Description?
Your job description might be the problem
Weak job adverts:
- List responsibilities without context
- Use corporate language
- No sense of culture or why someone would want this job
- Sounds generic, like every other advert
Strong job adverts:
- Explain what the person will actually do
- Show what success looks like
- Highlight what makes it worth considering
- Honest about salary, benefits and flexibility
- Inviting "Even if unsure, we'd love to hear from you".
- Show personality
Candidates decide to apply quickly. If your advert is unclear or uninspiring, they will move on to the next.
How to reach better candidates
Go beyond the “post and wait” method. Click each card to see what you should do instead:
Use a recruitment agency
We intentionally hunt for candidates and often can reach passive candidates who aren't actively applying.
Sponsor your job posting
Pay to promote your job to targeted people and build visibility.
Partner with universities
Training providers, bootcamps and universities have links to wide networks of students, often looking for work.
Try niche job boards
Sector-specific platforms to reach target candidates.
Incentivise referrals
Ask your team for referrals and pay for good ones.
Salary is often the deciding factor
Is your salary realistic?
How to check?
- Research salary benchmarks
- Check industry surveys
- Ask a recruiter what the market is paying
If your salary is below market, no job description fix will resolve it. Top talent won't apply.
What are your options?
- Increase the salary: If feasible, match or exceed the market rate.
- Offer other benefits: Strengthen the overall package (Flexibility, development, autonomy and culture).
- Adjust the role: Make it junior/different to justify a lower salary, but be honest.
Should you post the salary?
We recommend always posting the range. Candidates want to know. It filters out people who'll see the salary as a blocker.
Why your company reputation matters
If candidates have never heard of you, they're less likely to apply. If your reputation is poor, they avoid you.
How do you build your employer brand?
Glassdoor
Maintain your company page, respond to reviews and ask satisfied employees to review you
Social media
Share your team culture, team wins and day-in-the-life content.
Employee advocacy
Encourage your team to share company content.
Thought leadership
Speak at events, write articles and contribute to industry conversations.
Awards
If you've won recognition, highlight it.
Partnerships
Partner with relevant industry organisations to build your profile.
What sets us apart
Work with Us.
Thorough Recruitment.
We move quickly—but not carelessly.
Relationship building.
We prioritise fit, not just CVs.
Honest and upfront.
We’re direct when something isn’t right. This saves you time, money and avoids putting your business at risk.
No hidden costs.
We charge a placement fee OR an hourly markup. That's it, no surprises.
Onboarding.
We charge a placement fee OR hourly markup.
Ongoing Support.
After they start, we provide continued support to make sure they're settleing in well and help iron out any concerns early on.
- enquiries@meridianbs.co.uk
- Head Office | Part First Floor, Dakota House, Concord Business Park, Threapwood Road, Manchester, M22 0RR
Frequently Asked Questions
Left FAQ's
Left FAQ's
Why is my role not getting applications?
There are usually a handful of common reasons, ranging from an uncompetitive salary, a job advert that lacks clarity, unrealistic requirements, or simply not reaching the right audience. Candidate expectations have changed, and what worked a few years ago may not work today. We'll review your role, hiring process and market position to identify what's limiting interest and advise on how to improve results.
Can you improve my job advert?
Yes. A well-written advert does more than list responsibilities. It shows candidates why they should be interested. We'll help make your role clearer, more engaging and more competitive by refining the content, highlighting key selling points and ensuring expectations are realistic. The goal is to attract better-quality applicants, not just more applications.
What if the role is very niche?
Niche and specialist roles often require a different approach. Rather than relying solely on job adverts, we use targeted search techniques, industry networks and direct outreach to engage candidates who aren't actively looking for a new role. These searches can take longer, but they often uncover high-quality talent that traditional recruitment methods miss.
Right FAQ's
Right FAQ's
Why am I getting too many unqualified applicants?
This often happens when the job advert is too broad, the requirements aren't clearly defined, or the role is being promoted to the wrong audience. A vague job description can encourage applications from people who don't fully match what you're looking for. We help refine the advert, clarify essential skills and experience, and target the right candidate pool so you spend less time filtering CVs and more time speaking to suitable candidates.
Do I need to increase the salary?
Not always, but if your salary is significantly below market rate, it will make attracting strong candidates much harder. Salary is often one part of the picture alongside benefits, flexibility, development opportunities and company culture. We'll benchmark your offer against the market and advise whether salary is the issue or if other changes could improve candidate attraction.
What if I can't afford to pay market rate?
Then you'll need to offer something else. This could be in the form of flexibility, development opportunities, great culture, autonomy or interesting work. Be honest about this in your advert. You will still have a chance of finding a great candidate who prioritises other factors over pay.
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