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Staffing in an Economic DownturnMost of us know the drill when it comes to surviving a recession. Experience has taught us that what goes up must also come down. We’ve been through the booms and the busts and we know when it’s time to suck it up, tighten our belts, and lower our expectations. But for teens and young adults, this summer will be the first when they haven’t had their pick of summer jobs. As more and more applicants chase fewer and fewer jobs, teens and early twenty-somethings may find that they are competing with people twice their age with impressive resumes for lower-paying, seasonal employment; jobs that, ironically, two or three years ago, they’d thumb their nose at. Unquestionably, the balance of power has shifted back to favor management. With more applicants than positions available, employers can afford to be selective. But even if you are suddenly besieged with a flood of applicants—is it wise to abandon your recruiting efforts and hope there’s sufficient quality in the quantity to get you through this mess? In a word – no. Hiring versus recruiting Increased application flow does not guarantee you more performers; it only guarantees you have more applications to sort through. Imagine, for example, that your favorite major league baseball team decided to open up pitching tryouts to anyone with a ball and glove. How much time, energy, and money would be spent auditioning wannabe’s, misfits, and has-beens before they’d find someone who could throw a 90mph fastball? It’s possible that a big league pitching prospect might be hidden among the masses, but even if there were, this kind of search would be the epitome of inefficiency. While young people who could become successful employees in your business are easier to find than the next Cy Young Award winner, they’re certainly not a dime-a-dozen—even in this economy. So buried in that growing stack of applications on your desk could be one completed by a superstar, but who’s got the time to wade through the wannabe’s, misfits, and has-beens to find them? Simply stated, you can’t rely on the talent that comes walking in your door to staff your operation. This is not the time to stop recruiting young employees – it’s the time to perfect your recruiting practices. If you want the right kind of talent, you need to go out and find it. Here are a few simple strategies that can help you get off the hiring treadmill and start building a roster full of winners: Look around. Before you spend one minute doing external recruiting, make sure you aren’t overlooking top talent right under your nose. Gen Whys can be fiercely loyal to the businesses and brands they have chosen to embrace. Think about your best and most frequent customers. Are there familiar faces that might be good candidates for seasonal or long-term employment? A good, engaged customer can turn into a great, engaged employee. While you’re at it, don’t forget to speak to your existing employees about potential candidates. If you’ve made your current Gen Why workforce proud to be in your operation, they will be eager to recommend any friends or acquaintances that might also be a good fit. And if you want them to think proactively about referring potential employees, incentivize them for doing so. Search for talent, not people. The problem isn’t finding people to work in a bad economy; it’s picking out star-caliber performers who will stay with you when prosperity returns. So instead of just thinking about where Gen Why hangs out, start thinking about who would have the skills you need and passion you want, and where you can find them. Looking for someone organized and motivated? Go to a well-organized, youth-oriented event and talk to the Gen Whys who had a hand in putting the thing together. Need someone with an artistic flair? Think art houses, coffee shops, and museum events. How about a few physically strong, goal-oriented workers for demanding manual tasks? Try sports teams, gyms, and recreation centers. Be social (online). The whole world (not just Gen Why) is becoming more and more comfortable with social networking platforms. Now is the time to consider using these sophisticated tools for recruitment purposes. Just be warned: Generation Why can see a sales pitch coming from a mile away. You can’t just open a Twitter account or upload your profile to Facebook or MySpace, start posting jobs, and expect decent results. You will be ignored at best and you might likely be called out or ridiculed by the very demographic you’re trying to attract. The only thing worse than having no social online presence is to have one that positions you as a creep who’s invading Gen Why’s world. Instead, you want to think about integrating recruiting efforts into your existing online networking activities. Make it part of the conversations that are already happening and use social media as a way to get to know your most engaged customers, advocates, and fans. Be social (offline). When it comes to recruiting, a few strategic contacts in your community will help you more than you can imagine. Think high schools, community colleges, and youth groups. Leaders, coaches, teachers, and program advisors within those organizations are going to know young people who are perfectly suited for the opportunities you have, and they want to help both you and the kid. Talk about a win/win. But don’t go to them only when you need something. Begin a relationship now, and they’ll be waiting to help you when the time arises or they’ve got someone they think you need to interview. The bottom line is that right now workers are plentiful, but talent is scarce. You’ll probably have no trouble getting a ton of applicants for even the most undesirable job. The art lies in finding the right talent for those vacant positions so that your stars will stay long after this recession ends and the balance of power has shifted once again to favor the job hunter. Whys Website of the Month This is one for the books, gang. A guy wanting to experience what an interview is like from the other side of the desk set up his own little sting operation, and captured it all, legally, on video. The responses these Gen Why applicants give to what they think is a real, prospective employer are unreal. Check it out! - http://www.howtonailaninterview.com/ Whys Cracks LEGALLY BLONDE: Two teen girls broke into a tattoo parlor in Fairfield, Maine. But first, they had to get past the alarm system. "They used hair spray" to do that, said Deputy Police Chief Steve Trahan. "They wanted to spray it so the fog would come out and they could see the beam from the alarm system, apparently so they could walk over it or avoid it or crawl under it." They didn't come up with the idea themselves. "They said they saw it on TV." But it didn't work: the hair spray is actually what set off the alarm, bringing officers in for the arrest. Brittany Blow, 18, and her unnamed juvenile accomplice were charged with burglary. (Waterville Morning Sentinel) Perhaps being born with a name like Brittany Blow is punishment enough. Check out Eric's latest blog post - always insightful and inspiring; sometimes humorous. Read it here.
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UPDATE – Turnover on Demand Last week, Sean returned to Denver to speak to a large business audience about that experience, and I had a chance to interview him on camera. If you can spare 10 minutes, I think you’ll find his comments eye-opening and thought-provoking.
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