The Role of Small Business and the Double Standard of Corporate America...

The best and brightest....Bigger, stronger, faster.....everyone expects perfection. We expect the highest level candidates available. Nobody has an open position and look to have the mediocre candidate fill the vacancy? But what exactly is the 'best and brightest?'. Are they the life-long learners whose effort is unmistakable, who aim to continuously grow their knowledge base and skillset, but on a more organic level? Or is it the 'blue chip' from the top tier school, who possesses the 4.0 GPA and countless scholastic accolades? It is all open to interpretation but history shows that the ladder, isn't necessarily the correct choice. Ask any great sports coach, and they will tell you effort outweighs ability anyday. If you do not strive to be the greatest, you will always be second best. But the question continues.....who is the best and brightest?

Corporate America expects the best and brightest. Better yet, they demand it and depending upon the organization you speak of, it is an almost unattainable level of success one must achieve in order to be the "right candidate." The interesting thing is that every organization wants the best but everyone also doesn't want to provide that opportunity for the inexperienced candidate to showcase their talents. It is your basic game of risk vs. reward. Is this candidate who is very 'green' by industry standards worth the chance to showcase their abilities and potentially make an impact with our organization? or should we just go with the candidate with 'proven' success. There is another magical buzzword as it pertains to finding the right candidate.... proven. Is proven success in a specific field the recipe for success in another?? or would the 'green' candidate with high energy and a ton to learn, provide you the best avenue for the future? Does the proven experience outweigh the ability to develop?

The inexperienced candidates passed over by big business are forced to retreat to the most influential segment in the world....small business. Small business gives candidates the opportunity to grow and learn without the repercussions of billion dollar budgets and teams of 200. They can develop their skills and find their niche into what is truly their calling. This is the period in which they showcase their true skillset and what they may bring to an organization. The truly successful candidates reward their small business with double digits gains and increased market share. When the candidate reaches the ceiling of their advancement in the organization, they are forced with a decision..stay on and continue the success or strive to achieve a higher level of success with another organization. If they choose to leave, they are equipped with proven success on a smaller scale and a passion for growing a business that radiates from every pore. They are then applying for roles in which they feel they can truly fit in and make a difference. Only to be met with the double standard of big business....You were successful at a smaller scale but are you worth the "risk". They are faced with the same scenario they were before entering into the small business...

How can one break through this double standard?? It requires something in which they are unable to control....and the same thing that allowed them the opportunity to get this far....a shot...a chance..an opportunity to show that they truly do belong in big business. The organizations that truly evaluate talent on the most organic level are the ones who will be rewarded by the candidate's heightened level of passion, energy and also met by the ideologies of success in small business and how they will parlay into success in big business. by taken a chance on a risky and unproven candidate, you have truly met the candidate in which you were looking for.... the best and the brightest. Although they do not possess the ivy league education and countless accolades, they do possess the one thing that separates the successful from the second best.... the ability to do everything in their power to work harder then anybody else to achieve the goal