Finding it difficult to discover good/great people? Ben Casnocha (author of My Start-Up Life) suggests relaxing your usual filters (Ivy League education, big breasts, etc.) and instead suggests seeking out the underrated geniuses who aren’t amazing at what you typically seek.
People who earn the label “hidden gems” are hidden because they lie unturned after a popular, blunt filter is applied to a population. To find good, underrated people, de-emphasize popular filters.
If you want to find a smart person who has time to be your friend, try to find a bad self-promoter. The popular filter, at least in business, is in favor of charismatic personalities and clever marketers. Find the brilliant mind who’s a so-so marketer and revel in her availability.