Hiring Deserts, Lowered Bars, and the Cost of “Meh” Candidates

There comes a moment in the hiring process when even the most intentional leaders start to feel the itch. You’ve been interviewing for weeks, maybe months. The calendar’s packed, your team’s stretched, and the only people applying are... not it. And somewhere in that headspace, a sneaky little question starts to whisper: “Well... can they do the job?”

But here’s the truth: that’s the wrong question.

In my latest podcast episode, I’m naming the real cost of letting desperation guide hiring decisions — and offering some survival strategies for what I call the “hiring desert.”

Let’s talk about what’s at stake.

When you lower the hiring bar, you’re not just risking a bad couple of weeks. You’re playing with culture erosion. Every hire who doesn’t fit — even if they’re technically capable — starts to wear down the vibe your team worked hard to build. And the effects don’t hide. Your team feels it, even if they can’t articulate it. Culture isn’t static — it’s reactive. And poor-fit hires mess with it fast.

There’s also the sheer exhaustion of it all. Training fatigue. Re-onboarding. Cleaning up the mess. Not just your time, but your energy — and your team’s too. Every bad hire sets off a ripple of reactivity that pulls everyone’s focus off the good work you’re trying to do.

So how do you hold the bar without freezing up?

You start with non-negotiables. Get brutally clear on what is and isn’t a match for the role. Then use rubrics and scorecards to remove some of the emotional volatility from decision-making. Don’t just rely on gut; gather data. Values fit, logistics, skills — rate them all. And if the scores don’t back up the vibe? Believe the scores.

Still stuck in a hiring drought? Here’s what I suggest: make the waiting period useful. Update your position descriptions. Revisit your onboarding. Build a hiring manual. Create a “candidate pool” and a “talent pool” — one for folks who applied, one for folks you wish would. Stay visible. Host a career video series. Do talks at local universities. Build relationships before you need to hire.

And most of all? Don’t let pressure trick you into settling. That “meh” candidate might seem like a fix today, but trust me — you’ll pay for it tomorrow.

Need help holding the line and building systems that support sustainable hiring and culture? That’s exactly what we do inside Inside the Living Practice. Tools, templates, support, community — all grounded in the mess and beauty of real-world group practice leadership.

Because you don’t have to figure this out alone. And you definitely don’t have to lower the bar just to keep going.

About the Author

Dr. Tara Vossenkemper is a gently-candid consultant who’s been in the trenches of group practice ownership since 2017. With a hearty blend of depth, irreverence, and a solid dash of humor (or so she hopes), Tara helps practice owners navigate the can-be-messy process of hiring, culture-building, vision generating, people-y issues, and all the other things that keep you up at night. When she’s not consulting, she’s probably wrangling her animals or homeschooling her kids—because why not add more chaos to the mix?

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