You would think that having a 3.2% unemployment rate would be cause for celebration, and it is. Times are good, and there are lots of jobs out there. So, why is it that my clients are afraid they will be unable to find great employees?
Lately, I have received several calls from people who are afraid of the tight labor market. “Where am I going to find good people?” they comment. “What if I can’t find who I need? The work is overflowing. I need good people!” I hear consistently. The funny thing is that these are the same comments that I heard in 2008 when the job market tanked.
Are you surprised?
It seems that my clients worry about finding the right employee when they have 1000 resumes for one position or 30. They fear that the right person will chose the next company to work for whether they have interviewed 50 candidates or 5.
Here is what I tell them: There are more people on this earth now than ever before. We have 7 BILLION people on this planet, and you need 1. The articles that talk about a shortage of candidates is short sighted and fear based, and I don’t want you to read them anymore. Don’t buy into the fear, because when you do, you make horrible hiring decisions.
Your job now is to stay focused on your search, and the 7 steps to Hiring your A-list Candidate: 1) Create your Ideal Candidate List. 2) Write your amazing job description. 3) Write your job ad leading with the mission statement. 4) Review resumes 5) Interview #1 6) Interview #2 7) Interview # 3.
Hiring in a tight labor market is the same as hiring in a loose one: Hold out for the right fit. Period.