Unless they've changed it for FM24 we aren't doing it wrong. I've done it this way since whatever version recruitment focuses came in, and nigh on every big YouTube content creator has a video on how to scout, and it's invariably like this.
I think it's only breaking in some saves or after so many seasons which is why there isn't a complete hammering of this thread from all and sundry.
Sadly it's killing my save now. I'm in 2033 managing Bayern having worked my way up from Viktoria Koln, and as its 9 years in my real world knowledge is at the point of being useless. At least half of the game are newgens by now.
I asked my scouts to produce a list of 3* BPD as De Ligt has just gone to Saudi for £1m a week, and they told me they couldn't find one. I had a transfer budget of £190m and they had free reign. I had a look round the top teams in the CL and manually pressed scout on a few and they all came back at over 3*. I signed one from Dortmund for £60m - I end up playing them about 4 times a year, how did he not show up in the recruitment focus?