Lets consider for a moment the following: What many employers see as a tremendous opportunity for something that no other firm is adequately addressing in the marketplace motivates them to address that inadequacy by asssembling a team of experts in that field, in order to capitalize and make a profit where no one else is effectively doing so..

They feel that it is important for that success to find someone with deep experience in the process, the product, the application, the customer base, etc. What seems to escape them is that the opportunity exists precisely because no group has been addressing that issue for quite some time, which means that persons with deep experience doing that are most likely non existant ! How hard is that to understand ?

If there were hundreds of persons with deep and recent experience, all over the country, then it would only be because the demand for that product or service is strong, and there are many firms who are in that market, addressing that demand, and many are successful.. so successful that there is no need to consider going elsewhere for comparable employment ! Is that not logical ?

Let us consider the major concepts related to quantification of all candidates.

TIMING - This includes all those who are interested in your job, no matter where located, how educated, or how compensated. Their scenarios are such that they will go out of their way to have an interview with you. They are unemployed or unhappy with growth prospects where they are now employed. This precludes those who may be local, have the education, the industry experience, but who are happy where they are now, or retired, or have no interest in repeating their experience of the last 30 years, and thus are not available. Remember, that as in all human intereaction.. interest breeds interest and apathy breeds apathy.

SALARY - This group comprises all those who are ready willing and able to seriously consider and accept an offer in the range you publicize for your open job.. It precludes those who are too far below or too far beyond the upper limit. These people may have any education or none at all, may be located anywhere, and may or not be interested in your job for reasons other than Salary alone..

LOCATION- This includes all candidates who live close enough to preclude expense of relocation and time necessary for that persons orientation, moving in, unpacking and all the considerations re putting kids in school, finding the closest merchants and all the thought that would take to get someone settled in, especially in wintertime! This includes qualified candidates down to the merely 'wanna-be's'

EDUCATION- This comprises their college training and their technical knowledge which allows them to have solid perceptions which may be required for effective analysis of problems, means of resolution, conception of a course of action, implementation, their capacity to learn what they do not now know, and which will require obvious technical education or specialized insights.

SUBJECTIVE - This includes all the subjective issues such as motivation, desire, communications skills, verbal skills, computer liteacy, resourcefulness, leadership, assertiveness, creativity, perserverance, flexibility, personality, team spirit, integrity, professionalism, recent and direct experience, industry and customer knowledge, product, process, materials, fabrication, techniques, spoken languages, ersonal energy level, other specialized knowledge or awareness bearing on your total solution, including the issue of transferable technologies and related products, processes, equipment, and experience in very similar applications requiring similar approaches to resolvable problems.

SHEER CHANCE- This would include the possibility that the perfect candidate has just happened to come to town, from another state, is holed up in a motel, worked for exactly the same type of firm making the same equipment, has the right degree, is unemployed, has all the right skills, willing to accept an offer and start next week. How many of these can you reasonably expect to encounter ?

COMPETITORS - This is the area where recruiters can have the most impact. If you know of firms which might represent possible targets of opportunity, and which might have persons with the skillsets you seek, then advise your recruiter of those, and he has the ability to discretely inquire if there is anyone in any of those organizations who could conceivably be intereseted in your opportunity..

Where does this leave you ? The practical solution would seem to be to realize that if you expect to attract a candidate and have any chance at getting an offer accepted, that you will NOT be able to maximize ALL of these 7 concepts at the same time. ??

That would seem to be almost impossible and certainly impracticable. That means that somewhere you may have to compromise.. but WHERE ?

Can you compromise on education ? Probably not in many cases, esp those who seek Profesional Certifications like Prof Eng licenses. Degree may be essential for credibility. Licensing and registration will be a major issue. Can you compromise on timing, ie wait 4 to 6 months for the perfect candidate to fall into your lap ? Generally not based on resources, deadlines and targets ! Can you accept someone who has the education, is interested but lives in another state and has to get involved in relocation in the wintertime and all that involves ? I will leave this one to you ! Relocation is in my experience often the most practicable and inexpensive solution.

It is my opinion that an unfilled job is a liability, and one which has a cost to the firm who has not been able to fine a candidate worthy of an offer.. esp in sales, but equally true in other areas as design, enginering, mfg, production, quality, purchasing, even (and especially ) in accounting, audit, finance, contracts, compliance, banking, and treasury, where the cost comes from lost opportunities, dimunition of morale, lost contracts, higher turnover, increasing dissatisfaction with compensation or benefits, or any perception of better overall offers and career paths elsewhere by current employees?

If salary is not a critical issue, that leaves you with the SUBJECTIVE as a principal consideration over which you have the most control, does it not ? How much of the issues listed under SUBJECTIVE can you maximize and how do you prioiritize those ? That is the crux of your problem, and should be the focus of your approach.

If I have missed some significant segment or idea or concept, wherein may exist some potential candidate, then please advise me immediately and I'll get right on it. Always open to considered feedback. best wishes.. Bill Griffin