Unprecedented growth, constantly changing demographics and the increasing of individual choice have resulted in many companies facing a talent shortage.

• The U.S. Department of Labor predicts a 12.3 percent shortage of workers in skilled trades during the next six years.
• ManpowerGroup reports that 52% of U.S. employers surveyed say they have difficulty filling positions because of talent shortages.
• More than 60 million Baby Boomers will exit the workforce by 2025, and only 40 million new workers will enter.
• A recent Glassdoor survey found that a whopping 76% of recruiters say they even struggle to find qualified candidates.

This doesn’t even take into account unskilled labor in “non-glamorous” industries. Many of these workers aren’t on LinkedIn or job sites and the “best” aren’t actively looking for a job anyway – they are already employed.

Since most companies are predicting the talent shortage to continue unabated, we need to come up with out-of-the-box recruiting solutions because traditional methods of finding candidates are becoming less and less effective.

Traditional search firms can charge a small fortune to locate job candidates and their only guarantee when the candidate doesn’t work out is either a replacement candidate (using the same screening criteria they used the first time) or a portion of your money back (when what you’d really like is your TIME and ENERGY back).

Other means of filling the funnel are also time consuming and produce less than qualified candidates. Online job sites and placing ads definitely widens your pool of candidates but doesn’t necessarily improve the ratio of qualified to unqualified candidates.

So you spend your time, a lot of time, sorting resumes, phone screening, and interviewing people who may or may not be able to meet the job’s requirements.

But before you resort to things like an “Unlimited Vacation Policy” to attract the right talent, consider some ideas that are a little less disruptive and a lot more cost-effective.

Let’s approach this from the angle that recruiting is similar to fishing. Now I’m not an avid fisherman (woman?) but I do know that there are some basic things that are important.

1) You have to know where to go.

2) You have to use the right bait.

3) You have to get them to come to you.

So with that analogy, let’s go fishing!

TalentRECRUITING TIP #1: GO WHERE THEY ARE

When it comes to starting a business, the old adage was “Location, location, location.”

While that may have limited application in today’s online world, it actually has merit when looking for employees – especially unskilled workers.

You have to go to where they are.

When you think about this demographic, many of them don’t have online access except via their cell phones. They probably don’t have a LinkedIn profile and they may not be on Indeed looking for a job. So where can you find them? Wherever they are!

Community/Recreation Centers – Rec Centers are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes.

Career Centers – In Rochester, New York, we have RochesterWorks, a non-profit that helps develop and train individuals who are entering or re-entering the job market. Most cities will have similar centers with programs to bring companies and candidates together.

Daycare Centers – No matter the demographic, parents still need someone to watch their children while they are at work. Some daycares will offer to post jobs their parents might be interested in.

Grocery Stores – Long before Craigslist.com, we had Bulletin Boards where people used to post garage sales, items for sale and job postings. Guess what? Smaller grocery stores and delis still have them today.

Laundromats – Similar to grocery stores, most Laundromats still have the Bulletin Board which can contain your company’s job ad.

Public Libraries – This demographic may utilize a library’s computer lab to look for jobs, submit online job applications, do research on companies, etc.

Once you go where they are, it’s important to use the right “bait.” In other words, make sure your job ad stands out and speaks right to the people you want to attract.

~ Nancy Roberts
The DISC Wizard