George Anders
The Rare Find: How Great Talent Stands Out
ISBN: 978-1-59184-562-1
Startups and corporations alike expend a great deal of time, money, and effort to find the right people to fill the right jobs. Unfortunately, very few get it right. However, a select few have found the “secret sauce” to hiring the right people, and it’s not in the place you would expect. The Rare Find: How Great Talent Stands Out by George Anders explains how the best companies find the best talent outside of the normal pipelines, like job boards and headhunters.
Essentially, companies are really terrible at finding talent. Many companies look for an ideal candidate who checks a bunch of boxes off of a list devised by someone in human resources. They spend countless hours wading through similar applications and get nowhere. The author explains that companies need to get creative about what types of people would best suit the company’s culture rather than focusing on credentials and checklists.
The “rare finds” fit a number of categories: the “jagged resume” candidate who may have a “jarring combination of promises and pitfalls” (p. 61); talent that “whispers” during a traditional candidate search but can shine if tested; and talent that “shouts” and may not work in some company environments that are more buttoned-up and traditional, but who would be perfect in louder, edgier, and more creative situations. Many of these candidates don’t come in through the traditional channels and may require creative lures for non-traditional talent. Your company’s culture is the best determinant for uncovering the “rare finds.”
At the end of the book, Anders included a fantastic chapter aimed at job seekers on becoming a “rare find” – or, at least making yourself more visible to companies already venturing outside of the normal avenues to find candidates. With a bit of effort on your end, you might be able to stumble into a job that you didn’t know existed, with a company that has a culture which lines up more with your own world view, rather than somewhere that just helps you pay the bills for a couple of years.
As we move through this strange period where many people are changing jobs or careers due to the economic fallout from COVID-19, both potential employees and companies large and small need to find ways to stand out and be seen. It’s going to be a tough market for both sides unless prospective employees and employers alike learn to learn from each other, be more honest about what the perfect candidate for a job truly is, and how both sides can improve for the future. The economy is depending on it!
Overall, 9/10, would recommend for both people looking to be seen as a “rare find” and for human resource professionals, to remind them to look outside the well-worn paths and to be more creative and understanding when hiring. With the economic turmoil due to COVID-19 causing many to look for work and companies having new openings as parts of the economy reopen, it’s imperative for both sides to find optimal ways to put the right people in the right places, as quickly and efficiently as possible.