There are an amazing number of statistics being passed around (this is after all an election year) and they sometimes contradict each other.  Economists repeatedly state (McKinsey Global Institute Study, June 2011) that in order to return to pre-recession levels by 2020 we need to create 21 million jobs.

On the other hand, the group “Skills for America’s Future” claims that there are 3 million jobs currently open and unfilled due to skill gaps. Fifty-two percent of employers with job openings claim they can’t find qualified applicants.   What if we just create more jobs we can’t fill?

An article in the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) news presents a lot of statistics, and also ways that HR Professionals and others are trying to help bridge that gap.  There seems to be three areas where companies and applicants need updating.

First – companies may be setting requirements for jobs that are not only unnecessarily stringent, they are unrealistic.  To address this, HR folks and upper managers are taking a closer look at the job descriptions they develop.  Admittedly, as I mentioned in the article addressing skill gaps for job seekers (Can Employers Find the Right Skill Set…?), companies are adding technology to increase efficiency in their organization.  This inherently requires a worker with higher tech skills.  The HR manager may be able to find quality applicants without the specific skill set, but with a background in the industry and an obvious ability and willingness to train for the new job.  Example – McDonald’s food chain developed a language skills training curriculum for new hires so they are able to better communicate with customers!  I have had discussions with local companies about this very topic – and made the suggestion that they may need to develop some training, and then can hire an experienced employee and bring them up to speed.

Second – Training skills aren’t always in every manager’s portfolio.  However, when there are 14 million people looking for work, and many of them experienced employees, it is worth spending some time to “train the Trainers” to keep up with the hiring needs of the employer.  In some cases local community colleges or professional societies such as SHRM are providing instruction in how to develop a training program and deliver it to new hires.  Hiring employers will need to recognize that there will be a little extra effort involved to get a new hire on the job and being productive.

Third – The job seeker needs to take the initiative to GET the needed training.  Again, local community colleges and universities are working with local companies to develop training programs that meet the needs of the new job market.  Local employment agencies and job postings can provide that information.  For the job seeker – let a prospective employer know that you are getting some training to meet the job requirements they list, and ask for feedback.  That may give you a head start in actually getting the position.
As always, good luck.

Tags: hiring talent, retraining

The Wall Street Journal (Marketwatch, January 1, 2012) suggests that job seekers need to be creative and flexible to land and keep a job.   There are a number of reasons given for this statement, and I thought they were worth reviewing. 

Employers are staying lean, and staff levels aren’t expected to increase much in the next months.  That means that the existing staff will have to respond to a wide variety of demands.  As workers shift around some of these positions may be available, but they may have changed significantly in breadth and skill requirements.  Employers also want workers who are able to adapt quickly to new responsibilities as companies try to stay competitive in a changing economy. 

Opportunities may be there in industries that the job seeker isn’t familiar with.  Economists do project growth in the health care market, professional services such as accounting and legal, retail sales and management and certain manufacturing jobs.  For each of these industries there are some special skill requirements or education.  Manufacturing may require some occupational training, but that can be accessed thru many community college programs.  The retail industry, sales in particular, requires interpersonal skills.

So, what is a job seeker to do?  Ideas presented in the article include highlighting the applicant’s creative skills to show their ability to adapt to new duties.  Technical literacy is really a basic must in most companies, including health care, where much of the business end of the industry is going automated.  If you are well versed in electronic data handling – they will want you! 

Project management and communications skills are abilities that are valued across many industries, and finding workers able to communicate clearly is getting harder to find among today’s applicants.  Job seekers need to work hard at honing their verbal and writing skills to differentiate themselves. 
Then, use marketing skills to get the point across.  Use social media (with taste and skill please) to reach prospective employers.  Understand in advance what the company values.  For example, a law practice will want to add skilled members that can bring in more business.  That asset is also valuable in other industries, so use your contact list appropriately.  Package your skills to show how you will add value to the organization – and be able to back it up with examples.  No “puffing”!
As always, good luck.

Tags: applications, hiring talent, Hiring Trends, job seeker, social network

Right now Congress is battling about how to resolve the budget deficit.  Some might argue that the most important issue to improve our economy is to get Americans back to work.  According to an article in the Society For Human Resource Management’s HR News, economists suggest that jobs should have been the focus of the Super Committee all along.

However, in areas of the country where there is job recovery, there seems to be another problem.  There is a significant gap between skills needed for these jobs and skilled workers ready to go to work. 

The SHRM article asked for responses concerning the skills deficits in job applicants for specific organizations.  A response from the Arlington, VA Workforce Investment Board said that in some cases job seekers just don’t know how to promote themselves.  When responding to the question “Why do you want this job” the applicant’s answer may be – “Because I want a job.”  Not a good way to highlight the skills a worker could bring to the company. 

Job seekers need to be aware that the current economic productivity is similar to levels reached prior to the 2007 -2009 recession, but there are millions more people out of work.  The good news is that 58% of companies that laid off workers during the recession are making direct replacement of those jobs. The bad news is that many of those jobs now require completely new skill sets.

The applicant needs to be able to separate him- or herself from the pack by highlighting the talents and skills they bring.  Recently there has been a change in the focus of the HR Recruiters from years of experience to actual skill sets available in the job seeker pool- reflecting the trend of changing skill requirements.

The really interesting issue highlighted by companies responding to the SHRM-posted question said that the most common skill deficiencies in applicants are 1) writing in English 2) math skills 3) reading comprehension and 4) speaking in English.  The cited language deficiencies could be easily addressed by applicants through local training organizations.  Students in secondary or post-secondary educational institutions need to be aware of these needs and be focused on heightening their skills going forward.

Hiring, or hunting for a job are stressful and difficult processes, and even with the right skills, or the right group of applicants the one thing we all need is persistence and a sense of humor.  Good hunting!

Tags: applications, hiring talent, Hiring Trends, job seeker attitudes, retraining

Many of the news stories on job losses/job creation/unemployment state that small businesses, led by start-ups, generate over 50% of new jobs in the economy.  An article in the Wall Street Journal (9/15/2011) quotes the Small Business Administration as saying that 65% of new jobs over the last 17 years were due to small employers.
That same article “With New Technology, Start-ups Go Lean”, says that the number of workers needed to launch a new company has decreased by almost half in the past decade.  Start-ups are being launched with an average of 4.9 employees vs. the 7.5 workers in the 1990s.  At the same time, the number of start-ups has held steady, or even showed a slight increase since the recession, according to a study by the Kauffman Foundation.  This factor can have a huge impact on overall job recovery.
Efficiency is a good thing, but how do they do it?  As it turns out, using Web-based business tools, and working with contract developers/workers online has reduced the need for bodies in the company. The availability of web-based collaborative tools allows disparate groups to work together on projects, and eliminates the need for a large staff. 
One thing occurs to me – maybe the start-up or small business doesn’t add to its staff, but the work (managing the projects, ordering supplies, keeping financial records, etc) still needs to be done.   Someone outside the company is getting paid for providing these services in another setting.  Whereas the work may be done more efficiently, we still have a job opportunity for some bright soul.  It might be interesting to compare costs for outside services and support between today’s start-up and the earlier versions. 
Sadly there’s one part of this story that doesn’t help our jobs picture – the ease of collaboration with overseas talent.  Good for keeping costs down, but not so good for the job market either. 
In the meantime, the really good news is that start-ups are continuing to launch at a steady rate, and our innovative talent is still at work.  Keep up the good work!

Tags: change management, Hiring Trends, industry news, recruiting, technical jobs

At a National Journal policy summit sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management, one of the hot topics was the lack of workers with skills needed by companies.  Hilda Solis, U.S. Labor Secretary, commented in her address that this mismatch is one of the reasons for the high unemployment rate.

Most businesses that are hiring right now have experienced the disconnect between the skills they are looking for and the types of applications they receive.  There are so many people out of work that they are flooding the system with their resumes whether they are applicable or not.  A statistic quoted by Secretary Solis is that more than 4.7 people typically apply for the same job. 

One of the reasons given for this problem is the lack of relevant curriculum provided via our educational systems.  Even as I write, local universities and community colleges are soliciting input from employers to better meet their needs, but there is a ways to go.  Students need the motivation to enroll in these new programs – and we are told that many students lack the science and math skills to complete the programs and qualify for new jobs. 

A second reason for the problem is the Workforce Investment Boards of the Department of Labor seem to be out of touch.  The system is perceived as antiquated and irrelevant to the current crisis.  Older laid off workers who are not highly skilled are not going find their jobs returning in the current market.  The need to retrain is crucial for these workers. 

One problem that is difficult to solve is that many high school graduates don’t have basic skills needed to hold a job, such as good communication skills, the ability to keep to a schedule, or how to behave appropriately in the work place.  These are issues that require a whole different type of training that hasn’t been routinely addressed in our current systems.

There are multiple sources for the retraining or updating of job seeker skills if we can improve the quality of information on the real job market and the skills required.  Community colleges, unions, universities, businesses  and government training programs can all help.  Visionary efforts include a “Helmets to Hardhats” program to help veterans transition to construction jobs in the civilian world.  In addition, retiring employees in some organizations are being encouraged to impart their wisdom to the newer employees in their organizations.  Intern programs also help companies evaluate potential employees, and give job seekers an opportunity to learn about a particular industry.  

Responding to an ever-changing work environment by educational systems that aren’t by nature flexible and able to redo entire curricula in a short period of time is a challenge for the education industry.  Most successful programs come as a result of intense involvement by the business community.  In many cases where the company has unique products or processes, on-the-job training is just part of the orientation for new hires.

We need to do better in preparing people for the world of work.  There are good jobs begging, and great folks wanting to do them.

Tags: effective learning, hiring talent, retraining