Why can’t government agencies and contractors get the people they
need? It’s not just freezes or budget cuts or the fact that your
competitors can outbid you. And it may not even be the dearth of STEM
(Science Technology Engineering and Math) candidates. According to a
recent Manpower Group
survey, even with unemployment hovering at the nine percent mark, 52
percent of all employers are struggling to fill mission-critical
positions. This figure, encompassing government as well as commercial
employers, has increased 14 percent since the 2010 Talent Shortage
Survey.
In late October, in the Wall Street Journal,
Dr. Peter Cappelli, a management professor at the University of
Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and director of Wharton’s Center for Human
Resources, ventured a reason for the shortage: Employers underestimate
the value of training.
As he puts it, “With an abundance of workers to choose from,
employers are demanding more of job candidate than ever before.” In
other words, they want someone with an identical position at another
employer who can immediately jump into the new role. This attitude can
dictate a rigid set of expectations that cause organizations to overlook
potential high performers. TMP Government thinks that the government
community, however, may be in an ideal position to avoid this dilemma -
if they can preserve their training budgets.
The Paradox: To get a job, you have to have that job already.
You’ve probably been there. You’ve gone to a job fair or reviewed an
application. You see someone who gleams with promise with the
competencies that are a perfect match for your culture. But the hiring
manager says, “Oh no, I want someone with experience.”
According to Dr. Cappelli, this attitude is a “Catch-22 situation for
workers – and it’s hurting companies and the economy.” His article
shifts responsibility for unfilled positions to an unhelpful and
increasingly retrenched set of expectations that are presently
dominating the hiring world. With the Digital Generation at the gates
with the capabilities to push organizations forward, employers may
instead demand “paper credentials” that mirror their job requisitions.
The real questions that these employers should be asking are quite
simple: Can these prospective employees, with on-the-job or formal
training, perform the work? Is that training cost effective compared to
leaving positions open for months? Finally, if training is so valuable,
why may it be one of the first things to go into the chopping block?
Training: A tool for recruiting a digitally savvy, mission-critical workforce.
In September 2011, The Partnership for Public Service warned that “smart budget cuts” should respect the value of training. The report,
based on lessons learned from the post-Cold War budget reductions of
the 1990s, cautions that decreasing training produces only a short-term
advantage. In the long term, agencies may not have the personnel to
accomplish their missions and have to “re-skill” at a later date. In
fact, training can lead to greater cost efficiencies.
Considering Cappelli’s thesis, this training presents an additional
advantage: It allows agencies to build the workforce of the future. They
can focus on “trainability” in an entry-level workforce. They can
screen for competencies in trainability, such as capacity to absorb new
things, flexibility and enthusiasm. Perhaps more important, they can see
if a job candidate has a commitment to being a life-long learner. This
latter quality alone obviously pertains to any prospect regardless of
experience.
“Paper credentials” may literally not match the demands of the
digital era. Generation Y and its successors, born to computer usage,
can easily traverse social media and mobile technologies that can
perplex many who are just a few years older. Yet these very individuals,
in spite of being technically astute, may not get past your
interviewers. Moreover, if they don’t psych-out the key words in your
applicant tracking system, they may not even get to the human gate
keepers.
On the other hand, if your HR strategy encompasses soft competencies,
training and mentoring, you can scoop up talent that might be
overlooked by those still caught searching for the impossible-to-find
candidate.
Similarly, Cappelli notes that educational institutions may take it
on the chin for not churning out grads in the appropriate disciplines
fast enough to fill slots. He points out that it takes several years to
rev up a curriculum for the latest technological trend. The better
solution is for employers to work together with academia to make them
aware of upcoming needs and adjust the curriculum accordingly.
The Ideal Match: A realistic alternative to the five-headed monster.
What then is an ideal candidate and where do you find such a person?
TMP Government regularly asks this question in our branding program,
which involves executive interviews, supervisor focus groups and a brand
workshop. Not surprisingly, we draw multiple points of view on the
topic. Recently, when a group of government executives were emphasizing
stiff educational requirements, a bold HR leader commented that the late
Steve Jobs would not have qualified for a programmer job since he was a
college drop-out.
The Federal government, of course, must standardize requirements to
ensure fairness. Yet it would be helpful if both HR and hiring managers
considered that rapidly changing roles can make it an extreme challenge
to find someone that meets all demands “off the street.”
TMP Government knows this situation not only because of our Federal
and corporate clients, but because the advertising industry has had to
re-invent itself on a frequent basis.
In an article in the New York Times,
Erika Weinstein, president of Stephen Bradford Search, which has a
strong Internet and Digital practice, says, “Something has gone terribly
wrong in looking for realistic talent.” She notes that firms often find
themselves looking for a “five-headed monster,” who, for example,
combines technical and creative skills with impressive “business
acumen.” No doubt, the right blend of multi-disciplinary skills can blow
away a recruiter, but the lack of such a person need not cause an
interminable vacancies.
Several TMP Government clients have extensive training programs for
entry-level employees: from teaching engineers that “business acumen” to
helping business school grads get ready for changes in the financial
industry. We feel that such programs not only confer positive brand
attributes, but also can provide forward movement for national
employment.
For more information on how TMP can help you recruit for mission critical positions, please contact John Bersentes at john.bersentes@TMPGovernment.com or call him at 703-269-0092.
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