The Real Reason Why You Can't Fill Jobs

I was meeting with a client who is the CEO of a hospital and he mentioned to me that his new HR Director just filled two key positions that her predecessor was unable to fill. Beginner's luck? I don't think so. Here's why you can't fill vacancies and what you can do to change this.

Your HR team is being transactional rather than transformative. Filling jobs with people who you won't need to replace 90 days from today requires more than a transaction. You must have a talent strategy in place. I can tell you from experience that what might have worked three years ago, no longer works today. You must transform the recruitment process in your organization so that you are attracting people to your firm. Chipping away everyday trying to fill holes that keep appearing will never work. But you know that already or you wouldn't be reading this.

You are taking too long to hire. Candidates tell me all the time how long it's taking them to connect with companies that appear on the outside to be hiring. Many good candidates lose interest mid-way through their effort in trying to complete the online application and others no longer bother since most likely their resumes will go in but never come out. Try applying for a job with your own company. If you can't do so in less than 20 minutes, then march down to your HR department and demand they immediately remove the roadblocks that are preventing great candidates from reaching you.

You are making noise that people no longer hear. If you've been on social sites lately you know how many times a day (or in some cases hourly) you see companies posting these annoying, "We're hiring!" notices. After a while, no one is paying attention. Be bold. Do something different and post a compelling reason why someone would want to apply for the job you are posting. It's a little more work, but then again, you are looking for results, right?

You are using a one-size-fits all employment branding strategy. Consumer companies spend billions of dollars on market research so they can reach their target market. Do you even know who your target market is when it comes to attracting the right people for your vacancies? Are you using a one-size-fits all employment branding strategy with the hopes that you'll capture a few people who happen to be passing by your website at the right moment in time? Companies who know their target recruitment market fair much better than those who don't. Create messaging that appeals specifically to the groups of people you are looking to attract. Keep in mind that this may require more than one recruitment campaign.

Your hiring managers are inept at hiring. Have you or your hiring managers ever had formal training on how to assess candidates? I didn't think so. You probably glance at a resume, a few minutes prior to walking into the room to meet with a candidate, and then they spend the next sixty minutes shooting the breeze. You leave the room scratching knowing little more than when you arrived and the candidate leaves unimpressed. I have taught hundreds of leaders how to assess candidates and there has never been a person in the room who resents being there. Why? Because they welcome the help. Don't believe me? Just ask them.

You are aiming higher than necessary. I've worked with companies who only recruit at Ivy League schools. Why? You'll have to ask them, as I've yet to figure this out. There are tons of really smart people at colleges and universities that are not considered Ivy League schools. Unless you have a specific need that only one of these schools can meet, then why limit your hiring pool? In fact, wouldn't you rather hire the number one or two person from a state school than the guy or gal who barely got by at one of the top schools? I know I would! Take a closer look at your college recruitment program and ask yourself if you are at certain schools to impress your clients or would you and your clients be better served by a team of employees who had to work a little harder in life to get where they are today.

You are allowing lousy managers to remain employed in your organization. You may be wondering what this has to do with filling vacancies. Lots! That's because people leave their managers. Examine your employee turnover and look to see if there are any patterns. Do one or two particular managers seem to have more turnover than the rest? Are people attempting to transfer out of their departments as soon as they arrive? Yes, in the short-run firing lousy managers will create more vacancies. However, in the long-run this move will pay off time and time again.

I've got lots more ideas on this topic, so if you'd like to discuss how you can exponentially increase your hiring results, reach out to me at [email protected].

? Matuson Consulting, 2018. All Rights Reserved.

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Roberta Chinsky Matuson is the President of Matuson Consulting and author of Talent Magnetism.