The REAL local labor market for most on-site jobs, at any given time, is between 0 – 5 people. So ask yourself this question.
The REAL local labor market for most on-site jobs, at any given time, is between 0 – 5 people. Seriously.
The REAL local labor market for most on-site jobs, at any given time, is made up of individuals you would happily offer a job to, and who would happily accept. You could count on one hand.
Why is the number so low? Two primary reasons.
First, there just aren’t enough people.
There aren’t enough accountants.
There aren’t enough day care workers.
There aren’t enough carpenters.
There aren’t enough mental health counselors.
There aren’t enough plumbers
There aren’t enough nurses.
There aren’t enough waiters.
There aren’t enough social workers.
There aren’t enough electricians.
There aren’t enough truck drivers.
There aren’t enough doctors who specialize in treating individuals with autism.
And so on, and so on, and so on.
The second reason is what can be described as a “matching challenge.” For there to be a successful match between employer and job seeker for a particular on-site job, at any given time, there has to be an alignment on sooooooooooooo many things. Below are just some of the factors that each party considers prior to commencing an employment relationship:
What most companies consider (in part):
· Candidates who are actually/legitimately interested in the job – and company.
· Candidates who have some degree of values, mission, and goals alignment with company.
· Candidates who are self-motivated to perform the job.
· Candidates who can demonstrate or document they have some or most of the qualifications (primarily technical skills, experiences, and education/training) the company is looking for.
· Candidates who can demonstrate they have the people skills to be successful in role.
· Candidates who would be a good fit/contributor to the company culture.
· Candidates who, lacking the qualifications, can demonstrate the potential to be successful in the role.
· Candidates whose salary and benefit requirements the company can meet.
· Candidates who are willing to accept a company’s job offer.
What most candidates consider (in part):
· Interest in the job
· Ability (skills, education/training, experience, potential) to perform the job
· Compensation
· Alignment with company values, mission, and goals
· Company culture
· Leadership style
· Commute
· Learning and development opportunities
· Advancement opportunities
· Work schedule/flexibility
· Ability to use and grow skills
· Meaningfulness of the work
· Impact of the work
· Employers who will value and respect them
Which is to say that successful matching is not easy.
Undoubtedly there will be positions where the matching process is somewhat easy. And there will be positions where the supply of labor for a particular on-site job far exceeds the demand and therefore there are many candidates for a company to choose from. But that is the exception, not the rule.
Not convinced? Ask yourself this: When was the last time there were 10 or 20 candidates for Executive Director, or Grant Writer, or HR Generalist, or 3rd shift Supervisor that you wanted to hire and who would have accepted your offer? My guess is that you are struggling to think of a time.
The key point is this: That on-site role you are hiring for. There’s just a handful of people who you’d happily offer the job to and who would happily accept.
Given this situation, organizational leaders and HR pros who are involved in the recruiting and hiring process need to ask yourselves this critical question: “Do we have an effective strategy – and the internal capabilities – for attracting, sourcing, and recruiting the few, great-fitting candidates who are out there?”
I hope the answer is yes. If it’s not, I hope you are courageous enough to adjust, adapt, and change your approach to acquiring the talent you need to be successful.
For more articles, news, and information you can use, visit https://www.leonardworkforcesolutions.com/news
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If you liked this article, you might also enjoy:
1. Add This One Word To Every Job Description: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/add-one-word-every-job-description-bill-leonard-mhrm/
2. Getting Back Together to Move Forward: The Benefits of a Boomerang Employee Job Matching Strategy: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/getting-back-together-move-forward-benefits-boomerang-leonard-mhrm/
3. #1 Reason Organizational Leaders and HR Pros Need to be Constantly Networking: https://youtu.be/IUA6IfFCQVo
[This article was originally published on LinkedIn on 8/3/22: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/real-local-labor-market-most-on-site-jobs-any-given-0-leonard-mhrm/?trackingId=KOy1cZPAQ0aJy3RSjxhDtw%3D%3D]