One of the drawbacks of scouting out talented employees is local availability.  Maybe the best and brightest don't live in the same zip code as you.  Maybe local talent has been tapped or gobbled up by the competition.  What's a company to do?

Mac Googler Amanda Walker talks about doing her work for Google from her home… across the country.  It looks something like this:  Google - California —> Walker - Washington, D.C.  That's quite a commute!

Luckily, Amanda Walker is able to use VPN, broadband internet, and flat-rate long distance to do the majority of her work from home.  Her job duties take her to Google's headquarters in California on occasion, but she says that 80% of her work is doable from home.  It's a win-win situation.  Google gets to recruit a top-notch Mac technician… and Ms. Walker gets to stay right where she is.

This morning I talked about marketing your company to potential employees.  This type of employee-employer relationship goes hand-in-hand with employee marketing.  For one, how many people would love to work from home?  And second, how many companies are going to offer that type of arrangement?  Yes… there are some who do.  But those opportunities are few and far between for job seekers.

Examine your current company structure.  Could any positions that you're trying to fill be completed from home?  At first it seems like those types of jobs would be very rare.  But take a closer look at your vacancies.  Maybe the best person for the job is in another state… or country?

Why loose the chance to recruit that talent just for the sake of location?