A lot has been written recently about the difficulty employers are having recruiting and hiring new employees. We knew this issue was coming due to demographic shifts. But what we weren’t prepared for was the change in attitudes during the pandemic as people re-evaluated their beliefs about the role they want work to play in their lives.
So if you’re an employer, large or small, what do you do when confronted with a less-than-abundant applicant pool that telegraphs their desire to work only as it fits into the rest of their schedule? First of all, let’s dispel a couple of myths. Number one, the media is rife with stories about this hiring manager or that who can’t find “anybody” for his $80,000 per year entry-level positions. Please remember that most of those writing these stories have been trained to follow a particular narrative. Readership these days is all about clicking on the title. Because if readers don’t do that, the media platform can’t demonstrate to their advertisers they are getting the expected clicks and eyeballs. Hence the hyperbolic headlines like, “Employers Say There is Absolutely No One to Hire” or “The Job Market Has Been Devastated by Covid.”
Take a step back from the sensational headlines and realize there are still millions of people out there looking for jobs and might be interested in working for you. There is always churn in the job market as people look for new opportunities. Many of these individuals are still employed, but they are restless, unhappy with their boss and other reasons that have them surfing for jobs.
Number two, today’s job participation rate, or the number of people working, has returned to essentially where it was in 2019. Currently, there are about 1.25 million fewer people working according to the US department of labor. That may seem like a lot, but that means the number of people working has dropped from 167 million to 165.5 million. And, of course, applicant shortages are not averaged across the board but, specific to certain industries.
All of this said, the attitude of the average applicant has changed. As much as employers might be frightened by these exaggerated headlines, applicants seem to be emboldened by them. You know. “Gee, if employers are struggling to get good people, that gives me leverage on compensation, hours, and working conditions.” But it is not that simple.
The employers who are successful at filling positions have found ways to adjust their tactics. They remember that the economy and job market are constantly shifting. As a result, they are always looking ahead, predicting turnover and making adjustments depending on current conditions.
This brings us to a comment I read in an article recently by Kevin Stotts, the President of Talent First, a workforce development organization in Michigan. “Employers are saying, ‘We’re just trying to find some people who can fog the mirror,’” said Mr. Stotts. I have had any number of conversations with employers who insist there is no one qualified out there to hire. And I argue that is simply not true. But here’s the thing. The days of posting a help wanted sign in the window and having a bunch of qualified people apply are gone, never to exist again. Employers have to adjust and, in some cases, lower their expectations. But the word “qualified” is such a loaded term. The most critical quality to look for in any applicant, whether they are waiting tables or designing machinery is the ability to think critically. I’ve interviewed Ivy League graduates who seem to lack common sense and high school dropouts capable of creative solutions, regardless of the circumstances.
Yet I still see most employers continue to ask applicants a series of questions across a table and make an expensive decision without checking to see if the applicant has what seasoned leaders would call “smarts.” I don’t care what an applicant knows. I want to know how an applicant thinks. I will end up teaching them what they need to know. Is there certain content knowledge required for certain professional positions? Sure. But content knowledge should not be the deciding factor in whether the person gets the job. If they can’t think on their feet, what’s the point?
All of this brings us back to the “fog the mirror” comment. Am I comfortable hiring someone who just fogs the mirror? Perhaps. Truth is, no one just fogs the mirror. Every applicant possesses certain skills, interests and experiences that you may be able to leverage once they are on the job. But you have to determine what they are during selection. With few exceptions, every new hire has to be trained on job skills. If they appear to be good, even reasonable critical thinkers, I am likely to hire them. If I’ve done my job in selection, I know where their strengths and weaknesses are and work to bring them forward.
Does this take more time and energy? Probably. But if you invest in them, they will invest in you, in some cases more than the well qualified hire who takes the job for granted. They are also more likely to stay because your investment in them breeds a bit of loyalty.
So in these challenging times, be willing to take a chance or two on the “mirror foggers.” They might turn out to be a great investment.