Finn almost caught a bird this morning.  This has been an ongoing process for the past year or so.  He is only two and we’ve been letting him, and his brother Loki, outside in the backyard for about a year now.  They stay within the confines of the yard and typically lie under the hydrangeas or bask in the sun.  But their favorite pastime is watching the birds on the bird bath and feeder.  The birds taunt them and the cats chatter back.

Now I know I am tempting fate, and maybe it might be seen as a little cruel, to have these things in the yard AND let my cats out.  Honestly, it keeps them busy and I never thought that they would actually catch anything and they haven’t so far.  One day it’ll happen and I don’t think they’ll know what to do with it :)

This morning was fairly typically; I let the boys out and they romped around the yard.  Finn checked the bird bath for any visitors.  The difference today was there was actually someone there today.  With a flash of movement the feeder was on its side and the bird gone.  Finn is forlorn.  He keeps checking it to see if anyone has come back.

What does any of this have to do with being an employer or jobseeker?  It’s interesting really.  I kind of view the employer like the cats and the birds as the jobseekers. The cats are desperately wooed by the bright feathers and flashy movements of the birds.  The birds are just interested in going about their daily tasks of gathering food and water.  The cats wait patiently and observe the activities of the birds and when they spot the right one, they pounce.  Sometimes they’ll catch ‘em and sometimes they won’t.

In the real world, employers are working hard to attract the best candidates for the job.  They do their utmost to make their “yards” the most attractive to employees with great job content, compensation, benefits, worklife, etc.  If they play their cards right, they have the opportunity to attract the best “birds”.

The jobseekers may or may not be looking for the perfect job, but they have a purpose in finding the best career to support their livelihoods.  In the back of their minds they may be asking themselves; “Could there be better seed out there for me”?  They may luck out and stumble into a better yard or be in a place where their work gets them noticed.  It’s not always planned though.

And here’s the thing with all that – you could have the best backyard in the world or be the most talented bird in the flock, but if you don’t know how to market yourself correctly or what tools to use to make yourself most attractive then, you are doomed.    

So that’s where I think we come in.  I guess you could say that we set the stage for the interaction between jobseekers and employers by filling the gap that exists between the two groups.  For the employers, we lay out a strategy and brand that will work best in both pulling candidates in and pushing their value proposition out to potential employees.  We make their yards the most attractive, noticeable and talked about.  For the jobseekers we build beautiful plumage that enhances their appeal to the employer while also providing an approach that is most likely to get them into the backyard of their dreams. 

Of course, in real life this all happens without anyone getting their head bitten off, I hope :)

Oh, and here's a picture of Loki in case you were curious...