I thought this was a thoughtful article and the comments are revealing.
Why
Can’t I Find Any Good People?
It’s amazing.
With so many people out of work or looking for work, why can’t
employers find suitable people?
Here are some common theories:
- Job seekers
don’t have the hard skills needed to fill all the utilities,
transportation, and trades jobs available.
- Job seekers
don’t have the soft skills needed to fill the professional jobs available.
- Job seekers
don’t have the digital and online skills needed to fill the jobs
available.
- Employers are
searching for the “perfect candidate” and overlooking qualified candidates
in the process.
- Job seekers
aren’t willing to relocate or take jobs “beneath them.”
- Employers don’t
want to pay realistic wages for the
skills they’re seeking.
- Employers are
biased against the unemployed and the underemployed.
I believe all of these things are absolutely, 100% true.
But I’ll tell you something else I believe.
By and large, our hiring systems are broken, and it seems we
don’t know how to fix them.
If you’re an employer having a hard time finding good job
candidates, I’d like to give you three pieces of advice.
1.
Do something different
I’ll bet you have some idea of what the ideal candidate “looks
like” in terms of education, experience, and skill set. If you’re really being
honest, I’ll bet you even have some idea of his or her style of dress, manner
of speaking, and body weight. Do yourself a favor and put all that aside for a
moment. Ask yourself, “What work needs to get done?” and then review each
candidate with that thought in the forefront of your mind. Candidates from
different industries and different zip codes could indeed possess or be taught
the skills you need to ace the job.
I’m not saying you should settle or sacrifice fit. I’m saying—let go of the
mindset that your best new employees are already working for your competitor. It’s untrue. And
know this. Just because someone has done something in the past doesn’t mean
she’s done it well. Your competitor has duds, too. Why in the world would you
want to make his day and hire one away from him? Instead, go out and nab
yourself someone fabulous who doesn’t “fit the mold” but still somehow checks
all the boxes.
2.
Stop putting up roadblocks in your candidates'
way. Bulky, sluggish applicant tracking systems; over-the-top educational
or experience requirements; and invasive requests for personal information you
don’t need (like social security numbers and high school or college graduation
dates) are all a turn-off to candidates, even desperate ones. Don’t let bad
policy get between you and the workers that could bring something of value to
your organization.
3.
Remember that nothing ventured equals nothing
gained. Take a risk. Make a move. If may not be the perfect move, but it
could be wonderful nonetheless. So many job descriptions, job ads, and hiring
procedures seem to be designed with one goal in mind—eliminating all risk from
the process. But that’s impossible to do! Hiring always involves some degree of
the unknown. Accept it, and make your decision anyway.
There are many qualified individuals in the market hoping to
land a job soon. If you’ve been looking and haven’t found them yet, perhaps
accepting more of the onus in the process could bring about a change.
You might have to train someone. You might have to consider
someone you dismissed out of hand as a potential “poor fit.” You might have to
accept a compromise or pay more than you’d hoped. You might have to take a
risk.
But finding that great new employee will be worth it.
Comments
1.
Withheld in Fear
I am noticing a lot of
job offers that are for positions performing job duties of someone much higher
in level than the job offer states. Either HR, the headhunting agency, or the
company itself is listing the duties of an engineer, but asking for a "Drafter"
so they can get the "drafter" to work cheap and perform engineering
duties without ever being given credit as an engineer. Then, they go even
further stating "and other duties as assigned"... well that's great!
What would those be so we can remove all cover-ups and discuss a realistic
salary?
2.
Claudia
HR needs to ditch Taleo
as part of their online screening process. The only people Taleo has helped was
make the programmers and inventors rich. I've seen many unqualified persons get
a job, because the job seeker was able to select the "right answers"
according to the computer algorithm. Qualities were missed and red flags that
were missed, because the online screening programs were doing the job that
should have been done by the HR pro. If HR professionals continue this trend,
they will see their positions outsourced to third party businesses.
3.
Susanne
I am solely responsible
for hiring. All the theories are accurate, except one thing. I have
great candidates for positions, but once hired do not want to do the work that
they agreed to do for the pay they accepted. They are always
unsettled and unhappy, even when they go into a position with full knowledge of
what is expected. This is one missing theory!!
I have also experienced
what Susanne is indicating. It's not for all candidates, but can be found in
many!
While accepting the job
offer, some employees want to desperately leave the current job. So they say
'YES' to all terms and conditions (responsibilities, negotiated salary) since
they do not have a better option available.
Later when they join the
company, the 'security' need (Maslow's hierarchy) is met. So they start
expecting other things like only strategic work, higher pay etc. And that's how
they become dissatisfied.
Employers hurt themselves
by screen out applicants that are: 1) to old 2) to young 3) to educated 4) not
educated enough 5) not in the geographic area 6) unemployed 7) job hoopers 8)
etc/etc/etc..
When it gets down to who
they will even consider (based on their ATS) they have thrown away many
who are more than qualified...
They shoot theirselves in
the foot and then wonder why they can't find anyone...
6.
Theresa
Great article. Just
hope the people in hiring positions are reading it. The thing I find hard
with getting hired is when you have over seventeen years of experience in a
field but do not have the
"degree" you are not considered for a position. Employers are
looking for "degrees" not realizing how valuable a seasoned person
could be to their company. Hiring both degree employees and seasoned employees
would greatly benefit a company and the employees.
7.
Becky
I have seen many of these
issues when looking for jobs. Especially throwing away a resume because of a
lack of a degree, and I've personally experienced discrimination due to weight.
I agree with what Theresa said. Employers believe that a degree means
something magical. I just got mine, at 51 years of age, with 30 years of
experience. It doesn't make me smarter or a better employee. It just means I
have a piece of paper on my wall.
I think many employers
make a quick decision when they meet someone for an interview, assumptions
based on the first few minutes interaction and whether the candidate fits the
profile. By
asking the right questions and making the candidate feel at ease, you can get past
their nerves and find out their true skill set. If you have any doubts, take
references, often a person you thought would be mediocre because they weren't
confident in an interview, turns out to have been a shining star to a previous
employer.
I think the most common
reason why people can't get a job is either that you're like everyone else or
you don't have the qualified skills needed for the job. My best advice is
to educate yourself and improve your skills and stand out from the rest - do
something extraordinary :-)