Where have all the good people gone?
I recently commented on how we have been experiencing a period of rapid growth here at Montway in my “Here We Grow Again! “ post. In that post I mentioned that a primary goal to an effective growth strategy is to make sure you have the resources to maintain your customer service levels across all departments. In other words, make sure you have enough people in place to handle the workload properly. If you find you do not have enough people on staff the obvious answer is bring in some new faces and train them. What I have learned in our attempts to do so, is that simply put, it’s hard to hire good people in today’s work climate … and here’s why:
People expect jobs to find them
Does anyone actually read the Sunday classifieds anymore? In today’s job hunting world people associate looking for a job as posting there resume online via various social media channels and expect employers to contact them or work with recruitment firms. What this means for companies looking to hire is that recruiting people is now full time work … it’s not simply scheduling interviews but actually finding the candidates as opposed to candidates finding you.
You’re not only doing the interviewing but being interviewed too!
It’s true. Companies assume they are the ones holding all the cards and formulating opinions and decisions. This could not be further from the truth. The candidate is also observing and making decisions based on your appearance, demeanor and tone of the interview. How you handle them when interviewing them is often associated on how you will treat them as employees.
Interviewing is no longer a recruitment process but a sales one. You must show the candidate why your position is the only one they should be considering and play to your strengths. Here at Montway, we make it a point to mention that our brand is associated with superior service via our reputation with our customers. It give us a competitive advantage over others in our space and immediately lets the candidate know that we take how people feel about us very seriously, including them. This “proof of concept” effort toward the candidate requires effort and work on the part of the employer. You have to be ready to “wow” them just as they are expected to “wow” you.
Choices people, choices:
A good candidate is hard to find. Often times candidates that you deem as reliable, hard working, and trustworthy, etc. are also being identified as such by competitors for the same reasons. The results … the best candidates have multiple opportunities going on at the same time. It is best to assume that every person you identify as a qualified candidate, whether they are unemployed or not, has another offer on the table. It is best to move quickly to make an offer once a target has been identified as offer worthy.
There are no good people left out there:
Let me fill you in on a little secret. This statement is a lie. There are good people out there. These people want to work for a business that will value them as an employee, give them the opportunity to grow and learn and teach them. It may not be the candidate with the most experience or the degree from the most prestigious college or university, but rather the person who is willing to work hard and be taught.
The thing to remember is that people are not perfect, and you may find yourself spending months attempting to find the perfect employee, which is next to impossible. Instead, the focus should be on finding people who will work well inside of your business and that are trainable in any areas that they may need some extra polish on. Unfortunately, approaching hiring the wrong way will lead to a lot of vacancies or employees that just don’t fit in.
The good people are out there, but in today’s world, it takes work to find them.
