Rarely however does the HR group that comes and goes like the unseen Hollywood-style butler (always complete with a British accent of course) preside over an effective search for the right candidates. Usually what results from this scenario is a buzzword-littered and completely unrealistic list of disjointed attributes an "ideal candidate" should possess. I once read a 13-line list of requirements for an entry-level IT job posting, most of them starting with "1-4 years experience in..." Doing the math, this low-level position would require someone to have between 13 and 52 years work experience in a nearly-impossible mishmash of technical areas, all for an entry level wage!

While it is easy to blame HR for this state of affairs, it is similarly easy to put yourself in the shoes of the eager young HR staffer sits with the exec requesting a job posting, diligently copying down a list of strange-sounding skills this person rattles off as "required." Rather than taking this approach, it is often far more effective to determine what types of organizations possess the type of people you seek, and then looking for candidates within those types of companies, even if the traditional laundry list of skills does not align.

For example I recently heard of a large company recruiting a facilities director. Rather than looking for people with years of experience in facilities management, the person making the hiring decisions had a revelation. He had recently stayed at a Ritz Carlton hotel, and amazed by the highly personalized service determined that this was the type of experience he wanted at his faculties. In addition to candidates from a facilities management background, he spoke with several candidates from high-end hotels.

When considering where to find qualified candidates for your next job opening, rather than starting with a list of criteria, take an open mind and consider where one might find the skills you seek, regardless of industry, title, degree or certifications. You may not only find a raft of highly-qualified candidates, but get some new thinking into your organization in the process. 

I have spent several months trying to assemble all the necessary papers required to be legally resident and able to practice my profession in France and it has been a long and arduous journey. I spent nearly three months attempting to acquire a long-stay work visa, opening the FedEx envelop from the consulate in triumph only to find my visa was for 90 days rather than the 180 I had requested, and a note that I had to acquire a residence permit upon arrival, a formality I thought I would avoid.

On Monday I waited three hours as the local "Police Prefecture for Foreigners," finally being summoned to a desk only to spend 20 minutes arguing with the agent about the validity of my proof of residence, only to then find that the photocopy of my birth certificate (which I brought on a lark since it was not mentioned when I had called) was insufficient, and an original with French translation was required.

I returned a few days later, original birth certificate, marriage certificate, work papers, passport copies and any other official-looking document I could muster in hand, ready for battle. After another three hour wait, I put on my best smile and attempted to minimize my usual massacre of the French language, and seemed to make progress with the agent, even telling a few jokes along the way. After two visits to her supervisor, she began furiously typing into her computer and I thought I might finally have my permit close at hand. In the usual manner of the French administrative system, after a lengthy entry, she proudly handed me a slip of paper noting that I was to go to the "Grand Prefecture" two months hence, and that I had officially passed the "pre-screening." I can now relate, from experience, that there is nothing that makes you feel like more of a cog in the great wheels of government than spending six hours with the system, only to find that the assumed light at the end of the tunnel is a ticket to yet another bureaucrat!