Last week on LinkedIn, we ran a poll asking hiring managers and leaders to share their biggest hiring challenge right now.
The responses were telling:
- The top two answers were tied:
- “Lack of qualified candidates”
- “Too many candidates, low fit”
- No one selected “Compensation or budget constraints”
- A small handful chose “Competing with remote roles”
Taken together, this paints a very specific picture of what hiring feels like in Dallas–Fort Worth right now: it’s not that there are no applicants, and it’s not primarily about money – it’s about finding the right match in a noisy market.
For leaders planning hiring for the rest of the year, this is an important signal.
1. “Lack of qualified candidates” vs. “Too many candidates, low fit”
On the surface, these answers sound like opposites. In reality, they describe two sides of the same problem:
- There is volume in the market, but
- There is not enough alignment between what companies need and what candidates bring.
In DFW, especially in accounting, finance, HR, and operations, a lot of searches are no longer about “Can we get anyone to apply?” but “Can we get the right 3-5 people to the table?”
Often, “lack of qualified candidates” really means:
- Candidates have adjacent experience, but not in the industry or complexity you need
- They don’t have the systems exposure you require (for example, SAP instead of entry-level ERPs)
- They can handle the work, but are missing the soft skills: communication, leadership, or change management
And “too many candidates, low fit” often sounds like:
- Your posting is attracting generalists when you really need a specialist
- You’re getting applicants from outside the DFW market who are not truly committed to relocating or working in-office
- People are clicking “easy apply” without reading the job carefully
Takeaway for hiring managers: If you’re experiencing both of these at once, it’s a sign that your messaging and targeting need attention – not that the talent isn’t out there.
2. What it means that no one chose “compensation or budget”
The fact that no one voted for “compensation or budget constraints” is striking.
Does that mean compensation isn’t an issue? Not necessarily. It likely means:
- Many leaders feel their salary ranges are competitive enough to play in the current market
- The bigger pain point is finding someone who truly fits the role, team, and stage of the business
- When they do find the right person, they’re generally willing and able to put together a fair offer
In other words, in the conversations we’re having, employers are more anxious about “Can we find the right match?” than “Can we afford them?”
This lines up with what we see day-to-day:
- Companies are willing to invest in the right senior accountant, controller, HR leader, or operations manager
- They understand that a strong hire in a key role can save or make far more than their salary
- The friction is in getting to that short list of true fits, not in writing the offer letter
Takeaway for hiring managers: If your internal narrative is “We just don’t have the budget,” it may be worth asking whether the bigger challenge is actually clarity and alignment – in the role, the profile, and the search strategy.
3. A small but real concern: competing with remote roles
Only a small handful of respondents chose “Competing with remote roles”, but it still matters.
The DFW market has a lot of hybrid and in-office roles, especially in:
- Accounting and finance functions that support hands-on operations
- Leadership roles that are expected to be present with their teams
- Companies in growth mode that prioritize collaboration and speed of decision-making
Many candidates, however, have had at least a taste of remote or hybrid, and that shapes their expectations.
What we’re hearing from candidates locally:
- Many are willing to be in-office several days a week, but they want some flexibility built in
- They’re more likely to lean in if they understand why on-site presence matters (for example, close access to operations, mentoring a growing team, involvement in cross-functional projects)
- “Four days a week in office” lands better when there is a clear path to more flexibility over time and the culture is truly collaborative, not just “butts in seats”
Takeaway for hiring managers: Remote vs. onsite is often less about location and more about trust, flexibility, and communication. If you can explain the “why” behind your in-office expectations – and offer some structure around flexibility – you’ll be better positioned than employers who simply say “no remote.”
4. Practical steps for hiring managers in 2026
Based on the poll results and what we’re seeing on the ground, here are a few practical moves you can make as you plan hiring for the rest of the year:
1) Tighten (and humanize) your job descriptions
- Be specific about must-haves vs. “nice to haves”
- Highlight industry, systems, and scope (revenue size, team size, growth stage)
- Include real information candidates care about: reporting line, location/schedule, and what success looks like in the first 6-12 months
A clear, realistic posting attracts stronger fits and filters out more of the “spray and pray” applicants.
2) Align internally on the profile before you start
Where searches stall, it’s often because:
- The hiring manager, HR, and leadership aren’t aligned on what “qualified” looks like
- The role is evolving mid-search, causing the target to move
Spending a little extra time upfront to define:
- What this person must own from day one
- What’s trainable vs. non-negotiable
- How this role fits into your 12-24-month plan
will save weeks or months later.
3) Use interviews to assess fit, not just familiarity
Given that “too many candidates, low fit” was a top response, your process should be designed to get past:
- “Have they done this exact thing in this exact industry?”
and into:
- “Can they adapt, communicate, and grow with us?”
That means making room for:
- Behavioral questions that explore how they’ve handled change, conflict, and ambiguity
- Conversations about how they learn new systems or processes, not just what they already know
- Space for your team to evaluate chemistry and working style, not just technical ability
4) Be intentional about your talent sources
If most of your pipeline is coming from one channel (for example, a single job board), you’ll see more of the same: high volume, inconsistent fit.
Consider layering in:
- Targeted outreach to people who look like your best hires today
- A re-engagement pass through your past candidates who were “second choice” for prior roles
- Trusted partners who live in the DFW accounting/finance/HR/operations talent pool daily and can pre-qualify fit before candidates hit your inbox
5. How Pegasus can help you navigate the rest of the year
The poll confirmed what many hiring managers in DFW are feeling: finding the right people is harder than ever – but it isn’t impossible.
When you:
- Get aligned internally on the role and profile
- Tell a clear, honest story about the opportunity
- Evaluate candidates for both skills and business fit
- And use the right channels to reach the talent you actually want
your odds of building the team you need go up significantly.
If you’re planning to hire in accounting, finance, HR, or operations in the back half of the year, we’d be glad to be a resource. Whether you’re:
- Struggling with too many applicants and not enough fit,
- Feeling like qualified candidates are nowhere to be found, or
- Trying to understand how your comp, structure, and expectations stack up in the Dallas/Fort Worth market,
we can help you pressure-test your plans against what we’re seeing in real time.
You can reach us through our Contact page or connect directly to talk about your hiring roadmap for the rest of the year.