Help wanted for job openings

This past week, the United States hit a record number of job openings at 8.12 million, and the gap between openings and hires appears to be widening by the day.

As the economy continues to reopen, businesses continue to attempt to fill jobs lost during the pandemic. When I talk with CEOs and business owners, each have their own perspective as to why there is a worker shortage.

Some say it is because unemployment benefits are too rich, while others acknowledge the concerns many people have around returning to the workplace due to the uncertainty of the coronavirus.

Whether it is seasonal, part-time or full-time employment, they all agree that their organization’s inability to hire qualified people is hurting their business.

According to the National Federation of Independent Business, approximately 44% of small businesses said job openings went unfilled in April.

Bill Dunkelberg, the chief economist for the NFIB was quoted as saying, “Small-business owners are seeing a growth in sales but are stunted by not having enough workers. Finding qualified employees remains the biggest challenge for small businesses and is slowing economic growth.”

If your organization is hiring and you feel this pain, consider actions that will increase the probabilities of having great candidates attracted to your company.

Most importantly, commit to hiring (and keeping) only top performers. This is a long-term goal and process, but the benefits of staying this course will help differentiate your organization in the eyes of top performing people.

Being known as an “employer of choice” among top performers in your industry and regionally will greatly enhance your ability to populate your pool of quality job applicants.

Consider the following to support your strategy:

Get your act together — Is your organization a great place to work? Consider a thorough examination of your physical working conditions, health and safety protocols, compensation and benefits, workplace policies, community involvement, performance management and recognition programs.

In addition, does your organization have the right leadership in place to support the needs and interests of employees?

Many employees today have a low tolerance for traditionally run, topdown managed organizations. They expect challenging jobs and workplaces that are proactive, creative, high energy and collaborative. Plus, they expect to be highly rewarded for their work and permitted to enjoy a wonderful balance with their lives outside the workplace.

Shorten the time to hire — One of the first questions I ask business owners who are challenged with finding people for their open positions, is about the length of their hiring process. I have heard everything from 3 weeks to 3 months.

As the competition for talent continues to heat up, I advise organizations to seek new and better ways to significantly shorten their hiring and selection process.

Proactive businesses identify the issues slowing down their hiring practices and solve them. This reduces the time to select the right candidates by weeks and in some cases months.

Innovative recruiting strategies — Organizations that are successfully recruiting qualified candidates are utilizing non-traditional recruiting strategies.

Rather than just relying on placing recruitment advertisements in media outlets and job boards, they are utilizing their professional networks, social media outlets, trade shows, professional societies, and lucrative referral bonuses to employees and vendors.

In addition, some companies are dedicating significant resources to industry research, identifying the top performers in their industry and then direct recruiting these individuals. Last but not least, businesses will be well served to establish strong relationships with area high schools, colleges, universities and vocational schools, as they represent a substantial labor pool.

Re-define the role of your managers — Companies which are focused on top performer recruitment and retention are re-aligning managers’ jobs to that of “talent managers.”

In these organizations, managers are expected to be part of the solution of finding and keeping great people, rather than the traditional role of solely relying on the human resources department.

This has required managers to acquire new skills sets in networking, interviewing, research and becoming more involved in their respective professional societies and associations.

Be a great place to work — Being a great workplace should not be a secret. Considerable effort and resources should be focused on promoting your organization as a great place to work.

Make sure your organization promotes employment opportunities, workplace culture, benefits, and employee testimonials through your website, social media, marketing brochures, radio, print, trade shows, your reception area and of course through word of mouth hopefully generated by your own employees.

Given the uptick in the economy, the timing is right to re-evaluate your company’s hiring and selection process. Re-structure where appropriate, monitor results and continue to streamline until you identify the right formula for your organization.

There are plenty of employable people out there to do work, the trick is to figure out how to attract the right ones to your company.