Most job seekers think hiring managers are looking for the best candidate. In this market, they're looking for the best candidate with the least flight risk. That's a big difference. Sometimes the most talented candidates carry the biggest risk of rejecting the offer, backing out during onboarding, or quitting a few months in. If that happens, the manager doesn't just lose his time and have to start interviewing again. He might not even get approved to backfill that person and could lose the headcount entirely. For example, right now we're recruiting a software engineer for a large bank in NYC. I have two candidates in Jersey City and one down in the Princeton area, which is a pretty long commute. The third candidate is arguably the best on paper, but the manager is hesitant to talk to him because he's worried he'll quit 3 to 6 months in. The candidate has commuted into the city before. But if the manager has enough local candidates, he doesn't even have to consider him. Sometimes the deciding factor isn't your resume, but something else you're not even aware of.