Anyone who recruits talent faces the same basic challenge, whether we work for a big company, a new start-up, a Hollywood studio, a hospital, or the Green Berets. We all wonder how to tell the really outstanding prospects from the ones who look great on paper but then fail on the job. Or, equally important, how to spot the ones who don’t look so good on paper but might still deliver extraordinary performance. In a tough economy, it’s more important than ever to make every talent decision count.

George Anders sought out the world’s savviest talent judges to see what they do differently from the rest of us. He reveals how the U.S. Army finds soldiers with the character to be in Special Forces without asking them to fire a single bullet. He takes us to an elite basketball tournament where the best scouts are watching the players who don’t have the ball. He talks to researchers who are reinventing the process of hiring Fortune 500 CEOs.

Anders reveals powerful ideas you can apply to your own hiring. And in a new chapter for the paperback, “Becoming a Rare Find,” he explains how to flip these strategies and make sure your talent isn’t missed.