The Evolution of Business: There Is a New Normal In Talent Acquisition

I’d like to make a point to both employers and prospective employees: It is time for all of us to evolve. I focus a lot on the mid-career professional; however, both sides of this equation need to adjust their models. I would really like to stress this point because I want people to understand that there is a new normal in talent acquisition.

If you are an employee, then you need to adjust your strategy and do things differently. Ask yourself a few questions:

·      Do I need some extra training?

·      Do I need to go back and get a couple of credits?

·      Do I need to learn a certain skill?

·      Should I present myself differently?

·      Do I need to use tools other than what I’ve been using?

If you are an employer, then you really need to challenge your talent acquisition thoughts:

·      Do we need to do something differently?

·      Do we need to hire and train people?

·      Do we need to on-board people differently?

·      Do we need to help our employees refine their skill sets?

·      Should we create a strategy that helps the marketplace leverage their skills into our business?

Basically, I think both prospective job seekers and prospective employers need to be thinking about this from a new perspective. I have a question I sometimes like to challenge my clients with. Have you ever heard a conversation between two people turn into a heated debate? Suddenly you find yourself as the third party and completely unemotional to the entire conversation. As you are listening, it becomes clear they are both saying the exact same things. The problem is neither side is taking the time to listen, adapt, be silent and adjust their strategy so they can actually hear the other side. We see this all the time with internal managers. They are arguing about something and yet they're saying the exact same things. We need to cut down on the noise so people can hear. When we cut through the noise, then people can hear what needs to happen. Only then are we able to link the right talent to the right opportunities.

The bottom line here is that mid career professionals should rethink how they position themselves in the marketplace, and employers need to take a hard look at how they acquire talent. It’s time for the business world to ask the necessary and challenging questions and figure out what’s working and what’s not. Now is the time to listen, adapt, adjust and evolve.

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