• CleverHire Approach, InfinIT

Solving the “Impossible Hire” with our CleverHire approach

What started as an “unfillable” request turned into one of our proudest recruitment wins. Here’s how our hiring crew cracked a complex QA profile and built a high-performing unit – in just 8 weeks.
 
 

12 hires in 2 months

Functional QA roles staffed

3 search strategies

Skills-based search, network referrals, team collaboration

1 satisfied client

Full team built after previous search failure
This project started with zero traction and turned into one of our biggest successes. It proved that when titles don’t work, skills – and teamwork – do.
Oksana Stepanchuk
Recruitment Lead at InfinIT
Challenge

Complex Role That Didn’t Exist Yet

The client approached us with a request to hire several QA specialists – not your typical Oracle QA engineers, but professionals who could combine functional business understanding with hands-on testing expertise. It was a hybrid profile that didn’t neatly fit any existing job title.

Our initial search yielded either senior experts wildly outside the budget or candidates who simply weren’t qualified. For a while, we hit a dead end.

Solution

Reframing the Role with CleverHire Approach

That’s when we stopped chasing titles – and started chasing skills.

We turned to our CleverHire approach, which emphasizes:

  • Deconstructing roles into specific skill sets
  • Targeting potential, not just past job labels
  • Using collaborative discovery with clients

We engaged the hiring managers closely, and once we aligned on the real skill mix – functional process knowledge + QA testing – we adjusted our sourcing strategy. Instead of one ideal candidate type, we opened the funnel:

  • Junior functional consultants with technical aptitude
  • Experienced QA engineers looking to move into functional domains

We also tapped into our expert network on LinkedIn – asking senior professionals if they had worked with colleagues who fit this rare profile. This referral strategy yielded several high-potential leads.

With these changes, the process finally took off.

Results

12 Hires, Zero Gaps, One Happy Client

Once the pipeline shifted, things accelerated fast. Within 10 days of reframing the role, we had candidates on the table. By the end of the first month, 6 positions were filled. By the end of month two – 12 hires total. The client was stunned by the turnaround and delighted with the team quality.

Client feedback

“This was one of the most complex profiles we’ve ever tried to fill. Oksana’s team not only understood the challenge – they helped us rethink the role and delivered the right people faster than we expected.”

Lessons for Us – and Others

This case reminded us of three core truths in recruitment:

  1. Collaboration is critical – great hires happen when recruiters and managers partner closely.
  2. Don’t hire by title – hire by skills. Especially for complex, hybrid roles.
  3. Maintain a warm network. Some of the best matches came from conversations we’d already started.

With CleverHire, we don’t just match keywords. We build smart, human-centered hiring strategies that solve real business problems.

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