Recruiting Perspective

There are 5,000,000 jobs that are going unfilled because the skills just aren’t there.  5,000 jobs is a significant number.  5,000,000 is a significant impact.  We still have a ton of “underemployed” in America. These skills like PLC programming, Medical Lab Technology, and Revit Design ain’t Rocket Science.  They are skills and they are specific, but they can be learned. The gap is fillable.  Fill a spot or encourage someone who needs it to fill a spot and the skills gap will close.  That will have a real impact. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/pg/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/about/

Healthcare is a real hot button issue for a lot of people and certainly for politicians.  There are good arguments on all sides of that debate but, make no mistake about it, Free Market Healthcare would be fantastic for business. Wide open competition brings lots of movement and lots of drive to any market.  More companies doing more things, finding more interesting niches, filling gaps, and driving profits and business for other businesses that they touch.  It might not be our end goal or only goal to drive business and economic growth to higher levels, but it’s probably pretty high on the list for most of us. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/pg/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/about/

Economists are lowering their expectations going forward because of unexpected gridlock.  Gridlock is the norm in Washington but with a Republican White House and Congress there was some hope that a lot would get done.  But the gridlock remains.  Too many competing agendas. Where this leaves us is probably stuck in this slow, lower than 2%, growth.  That’s better than a recession, but if you are waiting for the economy to give an extra boost to business you are probably going to be waiting for a long time.  Better do it on your own. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/pg/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/about/

It’s pretty disappointing when we don’t land the candidate that we were after.  There’s a lot of frustration when this happens.  In most situations however, there is more than one person in the candidate pool.  Someone who fits the need and would be an excellent hire. On any search you should look at the big picture and and understand that there are some number of potential candidates in existence that would be a great hire.  The objective is to make a great hire, improve your business, not to hire one particular person. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/pg/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/about/

Job stability is not what it used to be.  It seems like it was a century ago when job stability was something that employees counted on from a single employer for an entire career.  That’s actually close to accurate. The reality is that companies have been focused on business and results over individual employees for a long time.  That’s perfectly fine as long as employees understand that and take responsibility for their own careers.  Real job stability comes from doing great work.  Making yourself too valuable to lose.  Making yourself too valuable to not be pursued by other companies. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/pg/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/about/

When you have a tough job to fill, a skill set that is in high demand and with a shortage of qualified people, you have to move when you can.  Too many times we see hiring managers hold to a set process of finding 3 candidates to interview before moving forward or something similar. It’s great to have a good hiring process that works for you, but you have to think about the current situation and do what is best for business.  Candidates with backgrounds and skills that are in short supply are in high demand so you can bet that someone else is looking for them too.  The risk of losing them is high and the risk increases with every tick of the clock.  Companies who move quickly in these situations are going to get a greater share of the top talent. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/pg/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/about/

Some candidate is going to turn down your offer.  The ideal candidate that would be a huge asset to your team, in some cases won’t consider a change.  A great employee and key part of your business is going to leave at some point for some reason.  These things happen.  They are unavoidable. Smart businesses don’t let this cripple them.  They don’t allow it to have a significant long-term impact because they have solid talent flow.  Constantly recruiting, filling positions with the best talent you can find, doing great work, letting the world know, promoting for great work.  Consistent talent flow makes a turn down or employee loss insignificant and keeps you on track. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/pg/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/about/

Many companies recruit sharing as little information as possible.  Knowledge is dangerous.  The more the candidate knows about our business, the more they can find to object to. Great companies work the opposite way.  The more they share the better.  Great companies come in all shapes and sizes and are in any industry, but they all do great work.  Sharing their vision, how they operate, what they accomplish, what they are building……these things show the great work that they do and great work attracts great workers. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/pg/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/about/

A fresh start can have value.  New place, new people, new motivation. We have to be careful that the fresh start isn’t the primary draw.  People who do great work do great work.  People who don’t do great work don’t.  If the pitch for a candidate is that he has the skills and just needs a fresh start, it just wasn’t the right fit in the previous three positions, you should probably pass.  Better to find someone that has some solid evidence of great work. The fresh start is a nice plus. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/pg/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/about/

Currently we are experiencing low unemployment and stalled wage growth.  There is a disconnect here and something’s gotta give at some point. This really highlights the sloppiness of the long recovery we are in.  At some point we will get a good economy again.  It’s not horrible now, but without wage growth it’s not the real deal. More good work and more patience. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/pg/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/about/

Sponsorship is a pain.  There’s a cost and there’s paperwork. But for some searches the candidate pool is really tight and opening up to sponsorship does open up the candidate pool.  The decision to not sponsor is an easy one if you can fill the position without it.  However, the negatives are not significant enough to take the option off the table for challenging searches. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/pg/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/about/

It’s easy to lose sight of what you are recruiting for.  We want this.  We have to get one of those.  It’s imperative that you know what you are. What does your business do? What do you provide? What do you sell? How do you sell it? Recruit with that in mind. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/pg/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/about/

In the United States about 5,000,000 people leave their job every month and a little more than 5,000,000 people take a new job. Do the numbers on that…..per region, per state, per metropolitan area etc….. That’s a ton of movement and clear evidence that the candidate pool is always changing. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/pg/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/about/

You can get stuck in anything.  Fixing a mechanical problem, recruiting, sports, writing and on and on.  Getting stuck is normal.  Staying stuck is a problem. The key to getting unstuck is to change things up.  A small tweak.  A different source.  A different tool.  As soon as you realize that you are stuck, look to change things up and get moving again. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/pg/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/about/

We all want the perfect fit.  Sometimes we get it.  Sometimes it’s just not there.  One approach is to keep working at it and be patient.  Better to have the perfect fit at some point than to have a very good fit sooner. The other approach is to constantly work to improve the roster.  Upgrade each spot every chance you get.  Work hard to expand your reach and identify the best fit that you can land for each spot.  Great sports teams do this.  Look at the New England Patriots.  They don’t wait around for the perfect linebacker.  They work very hard to identify the best that they can get at that position. You can try to build the perfect team or you can constantly upgrade the roster.  Both ways are valid.  You just have to decide what will generate the success you want. http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/pg/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/about/

Sometimes you know exactly who you need.  One target.  The approach, a shotgun approach, is simple.  If you have lots of time you can work towards the goal of landing the ideal candidate without a lot of risk.  If you don’t have a lot of time, the risk goes up significantly. The other approach is to have many possible targets and expand your reach to engage as many as you can.  Much lower risk.  Much more likely that you will be able to engage the right candidate.  You may even end up with a choice between a number of great potential hires. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/

A good job ad gets your attention.  It peaks your interest.  Something like….. “Great opportunity for an experienced widget maker” Then it will state the critical information.  The main idea is to peak interest and give the critical requirements that you are looking for.  You want the right candidate to recognize that they fit and generate enough interest for them to want to explore it and find out what makes it a great opportunity. If an ad goes over the top it sounds fishy, less trustworthy, and it may contain something that turns off the right candidate.  Some ads sell and sell, trying to convince the candidate to take the job before connecting with them to see about an interview.  It doesn’t take much to turn a great candidate off.  Your objective with a job ad is to generate a response from the right candidate. Save the details that show why it’s a great opportunity for the interview. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://ww

The unemployment rate has been trending down since 2010.  That’s a good thing even considering the fact that we were in really bad shape then and the numbers are regularly massaged. If you include the underemployed (those working at lesser jobs than they really need but still not qualifying for unemployment) the numbers aren’t nearly as good.  You really have to include the underemployed to get a feel for how good or bad the situation is.  The underemployed don’t make enough money and they don’t have the skills to fill the jobs they would want.  There are tons of jobs, at all levels, that go unfilled for far too long because there just aren’t enough candidates with the right skill set. Employers aren’t the problem.  Potential workers need to gain the right skills.  As a society we aren’t going to create more jobs that need less skill. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/

There is no shame in not being the right fit.  Many candidates feel rejected when they are passed on by a hiring manager.  Recruiters, especially early in their careers, can sometimes feel rejected when their candidate is not a fit. I’m not the right fit for the Golden State Warriors at small forward and I’m not the right fit for manicurist at the local salon.  No shame in that.  Recruiting is about finding.  Finding the right candidate.  Finding the right position.  Feeling rejected when things don’t work out is normal, but it’s not right. The process of finding the right fit involves some misses, but it’s a process that serves a purpose for every candidate and every hiring manager. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/

If you want to know why you recruit, ask yourself why you are in business.  Companies are in business for a reason or for a number of reasons. To make an impact on the world. To satisfy a need. To make a given set of people happier. To make things easier for a given set of people. To make money, employ people, produce something useful…….. If you’ve got a reason to be in business then there’s a reason you need to recruit.  In order to get these things done you need the right people.  The better your people are, the greater your ability to accomplish what you set out to do and the more you set out to accomplish going forward. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.facebook.com/Todd-Kmiec-and-Associates-194864617211094/

If you do something well, it is better to put more effort and resources into doing more of it than to branch off into something new.  That is until you’ve covered most of the market. It’s a really big world and most businesses don’t have enough market share to worry about having too little room to grow.  If you’re fishing in the ocean, there’s no need to go out and hunt buffalo.  Just cover more water more efficiently. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddkmiec/

I’m a Cubs fan.  Have been all of my life.  Last year the Cubs won the World Series and it was an incredible ride all year long.  This year, not so much.  They are playing 500 baseball (roughly the same number of wins as losses) and while they could still turn it on, they aren’t dominating like they did last year. This year some other teams are dominating.  The Astros and Dodgers to name a couple.  The Astros have clearly followed the same process as the Cubs.  Drafting well, building a farm system loaded with young talent and adding free agents to fill areas that they can improve on when the time is right.  A successful process in any business is not really rocket science.  A little thought, some strategy, and a whole lot of consistent effort.  If you model the successful parts of other businesses and work hard, you’re just about there. todd@toddkmiec.com http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profile/ToddKmiec https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddkmiec/