HR 101: Losing the War For Talent? Try This Strategy

We’re living a whole new world. One where there is more accessibility and awareness than we’ve ever seen before. And while this may seem to be positive (and in many cases it is), this increase of information isn’t always good. There isn’t so much a war for talent as there is a struggle for information. Real, all-encompassing information.

Take a look at a job description (maybe even yours). What does it tell you? My guess is not much. While we may be really good at articulating the skills, education, and requirements for the job, are we really doing an admirable job at articulating the experience at work, what we stand for, and who we are?

Not likely.

Understanding the experience we will have at work and its impact on the life we live outside of it is nearly impossible when job descriptions read the same.

Not all hope is lost though. Take a look at the fast-growing Vancouver based accounting company Bench’s career page for example. Here we’ll find more than just the skills required needed to do the job, you’ll also get a taste of the culture and who the company really is.

Arc’teryx, another Vancouver based company is also doing an incredible job at articulating who they are through a new video series.

https://youtu.be/5OJBUraUqnc

In this series you don’t see what time they get to work or what time they leave, and you don’t learn anything about the actual job that needs to be done; we learn who the company really is, and what it stands for.

I liken Bench and Arc’teryx to pineapple on pizza, or even black licorice: We either love it or hate it; very rarely do we sit in the middle, which is where most applicants sit when they don’t have the information to make an educated decision about the culture. One can’t possibly make a good judgement call whether they should even apply if all the job description talks about is being a “driven, highly communicative, motivated team player that is respectful and rooted in integrity.” Find me someone who doesn’t self-identify to have those qualities and I’ll buy lunch.

The problem today is that we keep telling the same story and expect a different result. Isn’t that the definition of insanity? Great candidates won’t be enticed to seek out your job and your company if what you tell them sounds just like what everyone else is saying.

I believe that if we were to change the bait, tell a different, more all-encompassing story about who we are, what we stand for, what the realized experience is like at work, and the skills and requirements needed to be successful, that both the war on talent and information will be won by both employees and employers and that we can all enjoy that thing we do more than anything else in a day – work!