Wild tigers share 95.6% of their DNA with domestic, household cats, according to a recently published article in a scientific journal called “Nature Communications.” I find it to be both astounding and simultaneously obvious. I’ve watched my fair share of cat videos… cats attacking, being startled, playing piano or just playing with toys. Watching those cats at play  then watching that next video where a giant tiger plays with a similar, larger toy just reinforces that cats are cats, big or small.

Different, but the same. The same, but different.

Maybe I’ve been doing this staffing thing for too long, but EVERYTHING seems to be a good analogy for the C2 approach.

Essentially, all staffing companies do the same thing – they match talent with clients based on a resume and a job description. And yet, I feel like C2 does things a bit differently. Not so much so that you’d think we’re not a staffing firm, but enough so that you’d know we’re a different animal.

Since the MacPros days, talent vetting was a priority. When my brother Jim and I purchased MacPros, we cranked it up and broke off the knob. C2 invests significant time and energy vetting and coaching our talent. We delve into the unique differences between candidates – their aspirations, accomplishments, character and passion – which helps us make a better match with a client’s culture.

It’s one of the most fun parts of my job. I meet with each of our talent, asking them to tell me how they show up; what makes them special; what value they bring to clients and the team; what kind of work and environment really makes them happy and productive. Sometimes, when I push them to talk about their accomplishments, they realize just how much value they can deliver – their speed, capacity, accuracy, innovation, process, etc. These interviews often elicit optimism, confidence and sometimes relief from candidates, relief that we’re care about more than just building a resume that can pass the gauntlet of an applicant tracking system.

Staffing firms make money serving clients, and that’s our model too. There’s just a subtle, but important difference in HOW we do it. C2 serves our clients by first serving our talent. We invest in them, ensuring they can clearly communicate their value and deliver on it.

Just as a tiger doesn’t change it’s stripes, C2 stays true to our promise that we vet talent better than the rest. And this is how we’ve done it for the last 15 years in southeast Wisconsin.

So what else is in that 4.4% difference between cats and tigers? I’m guessing it’s WATER. Cats hate it and tigers, well, they love it!

And on that note, have a PAWsome weekend!