8 Signs That You’re Probably Stuck in a Talent Time Warp

Just because the economy has rebounded from the Great Recession doesn’t mean that your talent mentality has also rebounded.

Here are eight (8) signs you and your organization may be stuck in a talent time warp:

Talent, talent everywhere — Everyone needs a job, so hiring the best should be fast and easy, right? Wrong. During the recession, great candidates may have seemed like they were growing on trees, but not anymore. Today, professional-level candidates have more options and opportunities, and recruiters need advanced sourcing techniques and impressive employer brands to find and attract them to the company.
No rush making a job offer — Some still believe they’ve got all the time in the world for interviews and making offers. Not so. If you are interviewing a candidate, it’s likely he/she is interviewing with other companies.
One employee will gladly do the work of three — The 10-year veteran employee who accumulated multiple jobs along the way has left the firm. Just create the replacement’s job description based on that person’s final responsibilities. Nope. Because one employee weathered job scope creep doesn’t mean you’ll find a pool of others with the same abilities. Base job descriptions on realistic expectations or you’ll waste valuable time looking for candidates that do not exist.
We dictate compensation, not the market — The market dictates current compensation rates, and it’s not based on what’s “fair” compared to your other employees. Just because the last three people hired five years ago make X doesn’t mean that it aligns with today’s expectations. Unrealistic compensation offerings make recruitment an uphill climb.
What skills shortage — When it comes to STEM careers, there simply aren’t enough candidates to go around. Deliberate employer branding programs, attractive employee value propositions and creative sourcing are what it takes to snag these candidates before your competitors.
Top performers are the same everywhere — Top schools? Yes! Admired consumer brands on the resume? Excellent. That’s what everyone looks for in a top candidate, but it doesn’t mean that these candidate types will perform well in your cultural environment. Create competency profiles based on living-and-breathing top performers in your organization, and use them when searching for candidates. It will make recruitment easier, and you’ll get better results in the end.
What employer reputation — Access to unprecedented amounts of social data isn’t just a one-way street. Candidates can view previously unimaginable levels of company information, employee reviews and customer feedback. Recruiting efforts will lag for those companies that do not deliberately create an appealing employer brand.
Employees won’t dare leave — Employees no longer count their lucky stars just to be employed. You’ve got to make it worth their while. What’s your employee value proposition? What career paths are offered? How do your compensation packages compare with competitors? Ignore these questions at your own peril.