July 2008
Does Economic Uncertainty Make Hiring Easier?
Someone said to me recently that these days, recruiting must be like shooting fish in a barrel. Since I do not fish or shoot things, I can only assume he was referring to the recent signs of economic struggle and calculating that people must be desperate for jobs—any jobs—thus making the placement industry boom.
Remarkably, the reverse is true. When people are worried or concerned for the future they are much more likely to either stay where they are in an effort to ride out the storm, or really scrutinize each opportunity to make sure their next move is the right one. In a tough economy, candidates will suddenly become much more focused on benefits, long-term growth of the company and base salary—the security elements. The candidates are checking out the company as much as the recruiter is checking out the candidates. When this is the case, those companies that are viewed as “growing” usually get the best talent—and not all companies are growing at the moment.
How Sticky is Your Company?
One of the VPs I work with uses the term “sticky” to describe the things that companies can do to keep their best talent during the inevitable ups and downs of any job—especially sales jobs. It is a wonderful term that creates a perfect visual for what is needed in today’s market. Rather than simply giving away the farm by increasing employees’ income regardless of their performance, employers should get creative and take a look at other ways they can make their companies very hard to leave. There are a myriad of soft benefits (such as training and development, meals, spousal benefits, coaching, electronics, etc.) that can be offered to make an employee feel beholden to the company and can go a long way toward hiring and attracting good talent.
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Prepared exclusively for clients of Brenda Abdilla and Management Momentum — Sent Mid-Monthly
