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Is Your Middle Tennessee Business Ready for the Post-Recession Talent War?

It’s time to put your battle gear on.

While there may not be a shortage of people looking for work these days, there most definitely is a war for talent brewing.  Despite persistently high unemployment, recruiters across the country are already finding it difficult to locate candidates with the updated skill sets they require.

This new war for talent will not be about a people shortage, but a skills shortage.  Entire industries like social media, gaming and oil/minerals are already feeling the impact.  Recruiters working for companies in these sectors are taking bold steps – including offering free beer for life, $20,000 referral bonuses and literally driving by competitors’ companies with recruiting banners – to remain competitive.

How should your company prepare?

According to human resources and recruiting expert Dr. John Sullivan, you need to overhaul your approach to recruiting.  Much as the military has to outfit its soldiers with state-of-the art weaponry and train them to do battle, you have to develop new and more powerful talent management tools, strategies and approaches.  To further complicate matters, social media and the mobile platform now require you to create talent management tools that have never existed before.

Sullivan recommends that you develop a “competitive analysis function” to stay ahead of your competitors, as well as a market research function to keep apace of your target talent’s changing expectations.  Ultimately, you may even need to hire new talent management leaders who understand how to recruit in a V.U.C.A. environment.

What does all this mean?  Middle Tennessee employers need to start thinking now about their talent management strategies.  Is your recruitment sophisticated enough? How do you onboard new employees? How are you developing tomorrow’s leaders in your company?  What do you do to keep your best and brightest working for you?

Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by Middle Tennessee’s current economy.  Tough recruiting challenges are right around the corner, and Wood Personnel is prepared to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your business.  With 24 years of local experience, we’re uniquely qualified to help you win the next war for talent.  Contact us today.

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