Talent Shortage or Shortage of Creative Talent Strategies?

A lot of people are blaming the lack of talent on the “shortage of critical skills in the U.S.” I think most of the perceived shortage is based on a shortage of creative talent strategies.

In an era of high unemployment, many, employers expect immediate plug-and-play candidates, new employees who come prepared with the skills and training to be productive immediately upon entering the workplace.

Some employers blame the school systems for not educating students with the critical skills employers need. The employers that blame the lack of resources on the “talent shortage” might look in the mirror and ask, “What have I done lately to create a strategic talent pool for my organization?

Employers need to utilize creative talent strategies to grow their own talent pools. It is up to employers to build a creative talent pipeline.

Ways to create strategic talent strategies:

• Redesign jobs and job descriptions; be open to bringing in talent from different industries and be willing to train the candidates on the skills they don’t have.
• Internal Training programs; Develop in-house training programs to train candidates to your specifications. Outcome: loyal, committed, trained employees.
• Internships; develop partnerships with schools and programs. Collaborate with schools to develop curriculum and experiences for students that will inspire and teach students about the jobs you want to fill in the future. Invite students into your company and/or send your employees into the classroom to teach or speak.
• Recruit Creatively; if you are only running craigslist ads to find talent, then you are only reaching less than 1% of your overall talent market. Get creative with your recruitment marketing strategies.
• Build a brand; become an employer of choice. Market internally and externally the benefits of working at your company. Create a branding campaign to market your company. Building a brand needs to start internally to ensure you are creating a work environment that your employees will rave about – you can’t be an employer of choice if you don’t have an engaged workforce.
• Support the Community; people want to work for companies that support a good cause and give back to the community. Plus it is good press.

About the author: Brenda Gilchrist is the cofounder of The HR Matrix, a full spectrum Human Resources, Organization Development and Search firm. Brenda has extensive Talent Acquisition experience in start-up to mature companies.