purple squirrel

plural purple squirrels

1. informalA job applicant who perfectly fits a laundry list of requirements, against long odds of finding such a person.

   Once you have your job description, take some time to test it against reality. How many purple squirrels are actually out there?

   2017 June 28, Laura Fries, “To catch a purple squirrel, you need to be flexible and proactive”, in The Business Journals

   1 more example

   Being a purple squirrel is useless if nobody knows it. Branding your unique combination of skills is one of the best ways to ensure you'll be found more frequently.

   2019, J. T. O'Donnell, “Why Every Job Seeker Should Strive to Be a 'Purple Squirrel' in 2019”, in Inc.

   Synonyms: unicorn, unicorn candidate