It’s hard to find qualified individuals in today’s job climate. Labor Department estimates it can cost on average one-third of a new hire’s annual salary to replace him or her and that those costs increase the higher up you go, some say even more. The Society for Human Resources Management concluded that it could cost up to 5 times a bad hires annual salary to replace them. But how do you know what a potential recruit is capable of? They may look good on paper, but will their practical skills be up to par with what you need for your business? Well, Apple is taking a new approach to finding recruits that are better suited for their open positions. Zack Whittaker, a cyber-security editor for CNet found the message that read “Hey there! You found us… we are looking for a talented engineer to develop a critical infrastructure component” hidden in Apple’s website after analyzing iphone app data.

The web page, which has now been deleted or moved, was used to promote an open position to individuals with enough skill to find this hidden opportunity. Although Zack Whittaker found the hidden message, he will not be applying for the position. But news of this will surely reach more qualified individuals that will be able to find apple’s next hidden opportunity. This isn’t the first time unique hiring practices have been used find qualified candidates. In 2016 Dyson released 4 videos on Youtube which contained a hidden puzzle for recruits to solve. Google regularly asks candidates to write computer code to solve puzzles that would otherwise be incredibly hard without a computer program. It seems that a good resume is not enough anymore, employers are looking for more refined practical skills and common sense that usually can’t be translated on to paper. We know the cost of a bad hire is too high, so what will you do next time you need to find a qualified individual to fill a position in your business?