Fashion is a fleeting thing.  My daughter, Laura, has a closet full of clothes ? most of which she doesn?t wear.  What makes a garment desirable to her?  Fit, style, originality and timeliness.  Is it bleeding edge now?  To say the least, many suitable items sit in her closet unworn yet I hear she ?hasn?t got a thing to wear.?

She is not unique.  The American public desires the latest and greatest.  Sports fans, in particular, want to align themselves with the best and they want alignment now.  Case in point is the Super Bowl.  Fortunes are made by instantly supplying apparel touting the Super Bowl Champion?s name and logo. Post game, retail stores immediately mushroom with apparel emblazoned with the champion?s name and logo ready to be hungrily snapped up. 

How does this happen?  There?s only one winner, so how do manufacturers know which items to produce?  To meet the demand, apparel is prepared for both outcomes. When Super Bowl XLII ended, the Giant?s apparel was displayed and the Patriot?s apparel was pulled.  The public gets what they want.  Unfortunately the apparel vendors find that half their inventory can?t be given away. Or can it?

I recently discovered that all the licensed apparel from Super Bowl Losers is donated.  This year New England Patriot apparel was distributed to children and families in Nicaragua, Romania and other countries where they may have never received new clothing before.  World Vision, in partnership with the NFL, has been doing this since 1994.  World Vision receives and distributes playoff contender apparel of all types that is not marketable in the United States and is donated by retailers and manufacturers. Last year $2.7 million dollars of merchandise was donated to impoverished families around the world through World Vision?s ?Gift in Kind? program.

In the world of recruiting ? do you find yourself without a thing to wear???  Or without exceptional candidates to present?

When presenting several candidates for a position, there is one winner.  In many cases, just like the Giants and Patriots, there may be two equally strong contenders.  Sometimes the decision is just too close to call.  As relieved as you are to make an excellent match and placement, what typically happens to the other, very capable candidate or candidates?  In the excitement, do they get left by the wayside?  How many times have you considered championing these second tier candidates to employers who would truly appreciate their skills and expertise?  With professional unemployment at 2.1% (that means 97.9% are employed), can you afford to forget about these talented individuals?   

In any labor market, clients will pay fees for candidates who ?

�        Can accomplish objectives within budget

�        Work two or three positions

�        Add value to the department or company

Value what you have.  If your second tier candidates possess these attributes, you can open up positions where they will be appreciated.  If they possess the ?fit, style, originality and timeliness? to match the organization, they will align. (Certainly there is no need to give these talented individuals away.) 

Has this strategy worked for you in the past?  Can it work for you in the future?