Labor shortages have driven
up wages and increased training and benefit costs. In addition, low
unemployment nationwide and the declining population among the young has
employers concerned about finding enough qualified people. Government
agencies are no different.
In addition to a labor
shortage, employers face a skills shortage—a mismatch between available
employees and the skills needed to be employees and managers.
In an effort to head-off
skills deficiencies, many business communities have formed partnerships
with educational systems with the goal of helping students become more
responsive to real world demands. Are these efforts enough? Evidently not,
according to a 1998 survey I conducted among 100 businesses and state and
federal agencies in the Southeast. However, the people I spoke with
offered some practical and innovative solutions for beating the labor
shortage.
TIP #1-Take a marketing approach
to recruiting. Every employee needs to take
responsibility for identifying and selling what makes working for your
organization special. Don't rely exclusively on traditional methods of
finding people such as classified advertising or walk-ins. Be aggressive
and creative. Promotions, ads and happy employees should be telling
prospective employees what you have to offer.
TIP #2-Hire layoffs.
When other business enterprises downsize, good people are available for
hire. It’s everyone’s responsibility to be aware of laid-off talent in the
community in which you live and work. Sometimes they don't know about you
and why you offer a great place to work. Contact laid-off employees
through their employers who are usually eager to help their employees find
job opportunities.
TIP #3-Distribute
business cards. Some businesses have found success with business
cards that their employees carry and give to customer-oriented employees
of businesses they patronize. For example, the card of a government
employer might say: "We’re interested in administrative assistants,
computer programmers and software engineers. For more information call. .
." The card includes a contact name and telephone number. A regular
business card can serve the purpose just as well.
TIP #4-Get
referrals from others. Your internal and external customers
and vendors are a good source of referrals, but you may have to ask. They
know you and your organization. If they like what they see, they may be
personally interested in working for you or know someone who would be a
good fit. Many businesses have found this method for beating the labor
shortage beneficial. Referrals from others may even help build better
customer relations.
SOLUTION #5-Offer a work-study program.
High school and college students often participate in a work-study
program. Some receive pay while others work for the experience alone. If
the students have a good work ethic and are willing to learn, they're
often a good choice. The downside is that they will usually be with you
for a only a short time—several months, a semester, or maybe a school year
at most.
In summary, finding good
people will continue to be one of the key challenges of the twenty-first
century. In addition to candidates that the Human Resources Department
identifies, it’s the responsibility of every employee to find and recruit
people for the department.
Carol Hacker is a human resource consultant, speaker,
and trainer who ranks among the experts in the field of recruiting and
retention issues. For more than two decades, she's been a significant
voice in front-line and corporate human resource management to small
businesses as well as Fortune500 companies. She's the author of the highly
acclaimed books, Hiring Top Performers-350 Great Interview Questions
For People Who Need People, The Costs of Bad Hiring Decisions & How to
Avoid Them, The High Cost of Low Morale …and what to do about it, and 450
Low-Cost/No-Cost Strategies for recognizing, rewarding & retaining good
people, Job Hunting in the 21st Century-Exploding the Myths,
Exploring the Realities and 366
Surefire Ways to Let Your Employees Know They Count.
Carol can be reached at 770-410-0517 or CarolAHacker@hotmail.com
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