Now for worse news (I hope I scare you with this statistic):
During the next seven years, approximately 73 million people are scheduled to retire.
Put differently, almost 24% of the current US population is scheduled to retire in the next 7 years.
And you thought it was tough to fill jobs now! Just wait!
NOW is the time to make changes that position your firm as a leader in people's minds and advantage you when hiring NOW and in the future.
1. Don't just fill jobs. Find great people and make room for them.
This is a philosophical shift for many firms who, unintentionally, look at human capital like machine parts. We need a programmer with certain skills. We need a receptionist on 14. This works fine up to a point. We all know that great people will make a difference in an organization. Why not make room for people who can make a difference at a high level.
Tell your current leadership that they are important to your firm's success not just for what they do but for the ideas that they contribute that can make a difference. That you want people who can do
great things AND offer ideas that cn move the firm forward in the next ten years and position it as the leader in its industry.
Somewhere in the last 20 years that notion has been lost.
2. Impress all talent. It should go without saying, but whenever someone interviews with you, they should walk out impressed and wanting to work for your company.
Everyone from the security guard in the lobby, to the receptionist in HR, to the HR person who interviews them, on and on, should be talking about what a great firm you are to work for.
I'm not saying to hire everyone. Standards need to be observed. But in this interconnected social networking world we live in, a bad impression will be magnified tremendously and broadcast throughout the world.
3. Network. Network. Network.
Everyone knows about LinkedIn (if you want to connect with my 1000 person plus my public page on LinkedIn is at http://www.linkedin.com/in/thebiggamehunter,
Do you use Jigsaw to recruit? Jigsaw will help you find people cheaply. People with certain titles and job functions. In Europe, Xing is particularly strong.
How about your own alumni (see my other article in this issue).
4. Treat your recruiting sources as allies instead of annoyances. This means you need to evaluate your recruiting sources, too, and not just ask them to work on your jobs just because they happened to call.
This next one may be a little controversial--work witth firms who are not on your vendor list if they have a person who fits a need. Why not accept a great referral from someone who isn;t on your "list?" How did lists become so important anyway?
The organization that becomes a leader isn;t always the smartest or work the hardest, although those are two great qualities. Organizations become leaders by being alert to opportunities.
The same needs to be part of your talent scouting process, too. As an organization that wants to be great, or thrive or prosper or fulfill its mission statement (you know the corporate mission statement don't you?), you will need to acquire great talent and give it room to operate.
These four steps will help you do that simply and powerfully.
Jeff Altman
The Big Game Hunter
Concepts in Staffing
jeffaltman@cisny.com
© 2007 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, He has successfully assisted many corporations identify management leaders and staff in technology, accounting, finance, sales, marketing and other disciplines since 1971. He is a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
To receive a daily digest of positions emailed to you, search job openings, use his free job lead search engine, Job Search Universe. to subscribe Jeff’s free job search ezine, Head Hunt Your Next Job, or to learn more and sign up for his VIP Personal Search Agent service, go to, http://www.jeffaltman.com. To subscribe to Jeff’s free recruiting ezine, Natural Selection Ezine, subscribe at www.naturalselectionezine.com
If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, include your resume).
