Back in 1998, McKinsey & Co. reported on the "The War for Talent" and for a long while now there's been a lot of talk about the talent shortage on the horizon. Stemming from the demographic information on an aging population without new entries into the workforce, the statistics have been reported and repeated by recruitment advertising agencies for the past 7 years with little or no interest from the field.

My guess is because there is enormous response to every poorly written job posting on the job boards, and recruiters have confused candidates with talent.

But true talent, the perfect mix of experience, energy and enthusiasm ideally suited for the corporate culture- is almost an accident to find. And if you do get lucky enough to find and hire a talented person, you have to worry about keeping them!

What reminded me of this was an article I read in ERE on the talent shortage-- though now, instead of a War, it's become a Race-- a word change I find much more pleasing since I'm a Dove.

The article goes on to discuss things that should be done to get ready. They include defining the following:

• What makes your organization so special?
• Why would anyone want to give up another job for the one you have?
• What are you prepared to offer for someone to make a move?

Once you nail that down, you need to communicate it to the right people. The talented people. And talented people usually know other talented people and before you know it, your winning the race!

You can read the whole article here.

When I left my last position, on what turned out to be a very long, extended leave from the workforce, the internet was just coming into existence as a viable job search option. Of course, the internet had been there for a while but the whole idea of job postings/searches was just budding. That was circa 1997/8. Now, back in the workforce, I see how far job searches on-line have come. And how important it is for employers to understand the reasons applicants look online. I left with the New York Times having 2 full help wanted sections on Sundays...sometimes close to 100 pages long. You sat down with a cup of coffee, a red pen and your 2 sections and spent hours going over ads. Those days are over. Not of course to diminish newspaper advertising but the fact is, there is a new kid on the block that works very well in conjunction with print ads. So, here are some reasons potential job seekers will use the internet:

1) YOU CAN ACCESS CURRENT INFORMATION AT ALL HOURS OF THE DAY OR NIGHT. The internet doesn't recognize holidays, and the whole thing won't go down all at once for maintenance. It's there when you are ready to use it, even at midnight when the kids have gone to bed.
2) YOU CAN REACH DEEPER INTO YOUR LOCAL AREA AS WELL AS TAKE YOUR SEARCH FAR BEYOND YOUR REGULAR BOUNDRIES.
There are no geographic limits. There may be employers who would prefer to hire from their local area, but that doesn't mean you can't accept the job and, if it's worth it, pay for your own move. You can also dig down deeper into your local area, finding the smaller employers within walking distance from your house who are looking to find someone just like you!
3) USING THE INTERNET IN YOUR SEARCH DEMONSTRATES LEADING-EDGE SKILLS. Whether you found the job listing online or did research online before your interview, employers like that. It means you not only know how to use a computer but also how to navigate the online world.
4) THE INTERNET CAN HELP YOU EXPLORE CAREER ALTERNATIVES AND OPTIONS THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE CONSIDERED. Not quite happy with your current job? Is it the job or career path you have chosen? Not sure? Explore! Can you use your current skills in a new profession? There are plenty of self-assessement tools online, loads of occupations to explore and lists of local career counselors to help you if you need it.

Yes, Another Posting So Soon. I can't help it if I've had more time to read so that you don't have to...

Today's New York Times
Rewriting the Social Contract:A New Game at the Office: Many Young Workers Accept Fewer Guarantees

A_New_Game_at_the_Office-New_York_Times.pdf

What a suprise! The Monday crossword puzzle is so easy that I usually get to read the entire Monday paper. Good thing I did. I found this great article in support of the BRANDEMiX trademarked business model: Attract, Align, Engage.

Here's a few memorable exerpts but DO READ the whole thing.

"...before signing up with I.B.M. as a software salesman...Mr. Cohn has a checklist of things he looks for in an employer. He should be excited, he said, by the vision and strategy of the company, its management and by the opportunities he will have to make contributions, add to his skills and further his long-range career goals.

For companies, the emphasis is no longer on "happy" workers who have a lasting commitment to a company. Instead, the new mantra is to have employees who are "productive" and "engaged," human resources experts say. "

"Work is about more than productivity," Professor Ulrich said. "For all our emphasis on individualistic, market competition, people still want to find meaning in their work and in the institutions that employ them."

"A career at one company will be a rarity, given how quickly markets shift these days. "The best a company can honestly do is give workers a glimpse of where the company is headed and how they might fit into it," said Peter Cappelli, the director of the Center for Human Resources at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School."

I know I'm on the right track even without the NY Times support since I have great feedback from friends in high HR places.(Thanks Allan for your interest!)

I read an article in this week's WSJ by Clayton M. Christensen and Scott Cook and Taddy Hall about purpose brands.

They begin with stating that of the 30,000 new consumer products launched each year, over 90% of them fail. This is because they don't serve a purpose. They quote Harvard professor Theodore Levitt who used to say: "People don't want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!"

Purpose Brands, see a niche and serve a purpose. Like FedEx.

I believe that today's human resources professionals have lost site of purpose of recruitment advertising agency partners. Now that they can negotiate and buy their own job posting packages, write their own job descriptions, post their own jobs, and source their own candidates, agencies are being squeezed out of the process.

However, the oversight here is that clients never needed recruitment advertising agencies. What they need are talented employees. And anyone adding value to the process of finding them is important, providing the costs justified the services rendered.

In today's world of CRM - Candidate Relationship Building, CC- Candidate Care, Niche Marketing, Blogging, Viral Campaigns and more, organizations need someone to develop strategies and communications to support their efforts. They need to differentiate their opportunities in the minds of the talent, customers and investors to continue to build equity.

Not only is there no one correct approach, but with all the multi-tasking that technology has now enabled us to do, can we even think about what we need to do?

We go to restaurants though we can cook, hair cutters though we have scissors and spas though we have bathtubs.

Isn't it great that we can also have a partner who can think? And best of all, like your favorite pizza place, BRANDEMiX Delivers!