Let’s understand how this happens in Indian hiring.

What Are Unrealistic Job Requirements?

Unrealistic requirements usually include:

3–5 years experience for entry-level roles

Multiple tools, technologies, or domains for one position

Senior-level responsibility with junior-level salary

"Immediate joiner" with long skill checklist

Expecting cultural fit + speed + loyalty + low cost

These requirements look ambitious — but they create long-term hiring damage.

1. You Shrink Your Talent Pool Drastically

When requirements are too strict:

Qualified candidates don’t apply

Good-fit profiles self-reject

Only desperate or mismatched candidates apply

This forces recruiters to:

Spend more time sourcing

Repost jobs repeatedly

Pay higher portal or agency fees

Smaller talent pool = higher cost per hire.

2. Hiring Cycles Become Longer and Costlier

Unrealistic expectations lead to:

Endless shortlisting

Repeated interview rounds

Constant “profile not suitable” feedback

Every extra week of delay costs:

Recruiter bandwidth

Team productivity

Business opportunity

Time-to-hire increases — and so does cost.

3. You End Up Hiring the Wrong Person Anyway

When pressure builds, companies compromise.

They eventually hire:

Overqualified candidates who leave early

Underqualified candidates who struggle

Candidates who accept only due to lack of options

This leads to:

Poor performance

Early attrition

Re-hiring costs

Hiring twice for one role is the most expensive mistake.

4. Unrealistic Roles Cause Early Attrition

When job reality doesn’t match the JD:

Employees feel cheated

Workload feels unfair

Expectations feel impossible

Good employees leave within:

3 months

6 months

First appraisal cycle

Replacing early exits costs 1.5x–2x of annual salary.

5. Employer Brand Takes a Hit

Candidates talk.

Unrealistic JDs create feedback like:

“They want everything in one person”

“Too much work, too little clarity”

“Low salary for high expectations”

This damages:

Glassdoor reviews

LinkedIn reputation

Referral quality

Poor employer brand increases future hiring costs.

6. Recruiter Productivity Drops

Recruiters waste time:

Screening unrealistic profiles

Convincing candidates unnecessarily

Defending poor JDs internally

Low closure rates lead to:

Recruiter burnout

Higher attrition in HR teams

More agency dependence

Again — higher cost.

Why Unrealistic JDs Exist in Indian Companies

Common reasons:

Copy-pasting competitor JDs

Manager insecurity (“let’s ask for everything”)

No clarity on role priorities

Fear of hiring wrong candidate

Ironically, this fear creates worse hiring outcomes.

How to Fix Unrealistic Job Requirements

1. Separate “Must-Have” and “Good-to-Have”

Limit must-haves to 3–5 core skills.

2. Hire for Potential, Not Perfection

Skills can be trained.

Attitude, learning ability, and role fit matter more.

3. Align Salary With Expectations

High expectations + low pay = low-quality applicants.

4. Involve Recruiters Early

Recruiters understand the market reality.

Use their input before finalizing JDs.

5. Review JD Performance Regularly

Track:

Number of applicants

Time-to-hire

Offer acceptance rate

Poor metrics = unrealistic JD.

Final Thoughts

Unrealistic job requirements don’t protect companies.

They:

Slow hiring

Increase costs

Damage trust

Push away good talent

Smart companies don’t hire unicorns.

They hire real people with real potential.

If your hiring costs are rising, don’t blame the market first.

Check your job requirements.                                              Want to reduce hiring costs and improve talent quality?
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