Finding Diamonds in the Rough
Most people loathe having to look for a job. It can be tough work – long hours are spent tailoring resumes and pounding the streets looking for some way in to a good company.
What many people don’t realize, though, is that most managers loathe searching for the right employee, too. This can also be tough work – long hours are spent recruiting candidates, reviewing resumes, and interviewing applicants, often to no effect. Companies often try, therefore, to strategize methods for recruiting the right kind of talent instead of putting the call out to just any applicant. Unfortunately, those same strategies used to keep out the wrong kind of applicants might backfire and keep out the right talent.
The problem in both cases is the right talent and the right employer finding one another. It is almost as frustrating as the search for true love. Well, OK, it is not as hard as that. After all, sometimes the employer’s recruitment problem can be solved by finding a “diamond in the rough” and polishing it until its true beauty is revealed. This might be an even better option than finding a seemingly polished employee because it presents the opportunity to mold him or her into the exact right fit for the company’s needs. After all, there are lots of programs for training employees available.
But how can you as a small business owner tell a diamond in the rough from mere rubbish? Unless you are an expert in the subject, they might look exactly the same to you. In fact, until the diamond is revealed, it might seem like you’re just looking at a chunk of coal! Yet their value is starkly contrasted; every employer would prefer the diamond. How, though, can a diamond be found in the rough?
Well, how about collaborating with an expert? A diamond dealer would all have all the right tools to find and evaluate each potential gem. In the case of recruiting high-potential talent, consider your Professional Employer Organization (PEO) to be your diamond dealer. Their time and expertise is focused on creative ways to recruit great employees. They are highly skilled in reviewing resumes and cover letters, interviewing candidates, and matching the right person to the right job. If you’re looking for a diamond in the rough to mold into your ideal employee, your PEO will review your job needs thoroughly and consider all the possible candidates for you.
Instead of mucking around in the mineshaft yourself, you can limit your time investment to only those candidates that the PEO is convinced have real potential. Let them do all the sifting and sorting, and you can focus your attention back where it belongs – on your business.
Not sure which PEO to use? Try our PEO Services Matching Tool to find the best PEO. In other words, you can use a PEO to find and develop new employees instead of struggling in the mineshaft searching for diamonds in the rough. Recruiting, it's not just for sports and it no longer has to be difficult.
About the author
Carolyn Sokol is a frequent contributor to PEOcompare.com, a company she helped found in order to match small businesses with the best PEO company for their particular needs. Her background is in marketing and communications, employee education, and employee education and training, development of policies and procedures and the ongoing delivery of outstanding service to customers.
