The Perfect Fit

Hiring and Career Advancement in Today's Competitive Landscape

Hiring executives face several key challenges when finding new employees, especially in today’s dynamic job market. These challenges stem from rapid technological changes, shifts in workforce expectations, and competitive industry landscapes. Here are some of the principal obstacles:

Skills Shortages: A major hurdle is the mismatch between the skills required and the available talent. Many sectors, particularly tech and healthcare, face shortages in specific skills like AI, data science, and cybersecurity.

Attracting Top Talent in a Competitive Market: Competition for high-quality candidates, especially in industries like technology, finance, and leadership roles, makes it difficult to secure top talent. Established companies and startups alike offer competitive packages, making it harder for businesses to stand out.

Diversity and Inclusion: Ensuring a diverse candidate pool remains a significant challenge. Executives are under pressure to recruit underrepresented talent and create inclusive hiring practices, which involves overcoming systemic biases and finding qualified diverse candidates.

Cultural Fit and Adaptability: Hiring candidates who fit or add value to the company culture, while also being adaptable to rapid change, is complex. Executives struggle to balance hiring for cultural alignment while fostering innovation and diversity.

Remote Work Adaptation: The shift toward remote work has expanded the talent pool but also introduced challenges in assessing candidates’ abilities to work independently and manage remote teams effectively. Evaluating soft skills like self-discipline and communication is now critical.

Leadership and Succession Planning: Finding leadership talent capable of not only filling current roles but also providing long-term succession planning is a growing priority. Executives need future-proof leaders who can guide companies through technological and economic shifts.

Economic and Industry Uncertainty: Uncertainty in global politics, the economy, rising inflation, and evolving industry strategies and tactics, make it harder for hiring executives to predict workforce needs accurately. Companies are hesitant to over hire or invest heavily in talent during volatile periods.

Balancing Compensation with Budget Constraints: Offering competitive compensation packages that align with market expectations, particularly in high-demand sectors, can be difficult. Balancing competitive pay with budget constraints is a constant challenge for hiring managers.

It’s Not You, The Job Market Is Rough!

I’m consistently hearing the frustration in the voices of candidates looking for a new job.  They’re becoming more and more frustrated with the process.  Sometimes, absolute premier performers’ interest in and application for open positions receive zero response or even acknowledgement of an application being received.  Candidates are frequently ignored or treated with rude disrespect.
 
In June of this year, I decided to see for myself how applicant candidates are treated.  I found that the problem is bigger than I was imagining.  I was surprised and dismayed, when employers consistently ignored my application (for Executive Recruiter).  I didn’t even receive an acknowledgement of my application by most employers.  I never heard from most of them at all.  Way less than half even bothered with a dismissive I’m “No Longer Being Considered”.  No “Thank You” . . . nothing.  Most didn’t bother to respond.
 
A couple of days ago, I was doing some work on LinkedIn, when a candidate I know posted the following article.  Greg is a very insightful marketing researcher and data analyst.  He posted a message on his LinkedIn Profile, that he’s given me permission to share with you.  My goal is to get the attention of employers and help them understand how uncaring, rude and disinterested they treating people!  I can only hope that they're not aware of what's happening.
 
The candidates who have applied to work with that company have shown interest in learning more about them and (hopefully) finding ways to add value and contribute to their culture and profit.  The fact that so many just don’t seem to care, is disconcerting!  In this age of AI, bots and ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) doing preliminary screening of resumes, you’d think they could at least send an auto-response thanking that candidate for their interest and time spent applying to work with (or more likely, for) them!

Greg Berger’s Original article posted August 22, 2024  on LinkedIn.  Numbers below updated September 23, 2024.