TALENT SHORTAGE ? WHAT TALENT SHORTAGE ?
Robert Kenward founder and chief cheerleader of TheHub . Jobs says he doesn ’ t believe there is a talent shortage at all
eople are saying there ’ s a talent shortage in our industry . Well , I disagree . While it is true that of the 250,000 event profs who were made redundant , 10 % ( 25,000 ) will not be returning , we don ’ t have a talent shortage , or even a people shortage ; what we do have is perceived skills shortage perpetrated by employers asking for the moon on a stick . Sounds likes semantics , but it ’ s a huge difference .
Recruitment is a strategy , it is part of a business plan , but no one sees it that way . Companies treat it as a secondary thought that interferes with their ( more important ) day job . When recruitment does come to the top of the agenda its often a rushed , urgent matter so the process becomes very hard , and in urgency lies mistakes . Which all equates to you not finding the right person for your role .
There can be a massive discrepancy between what a business wants ( from a candidate ) and what they need . The ‘ needs ’ are what the role encompasses , what
Left : Recruitment expert Robert Kenward the business requires , and the basic fundamental skills , experience and personality needed by the candidate to do the role and stay in the business . The ‘ wants ’ are the ideals ; which are often completely unrealistic as they ’ re the perfect scenario and trust me , that doesn ’ t exist for all parties . The difference between a role ’ s ‘ needs ’ and ‘ wants ’ can be demonstrated by the salary bracket ; at the bottom you have your ‘ needs ’ and at the top is the ‘ wants .’
I ’ m seeing many companies being totally unrealistic in their job adverts . I ’ ve seen agencies advertise for a role which ( pre-2020 ) would have been three different jobs , each one with different responsibilities and very different skill sets . But now cash-strapped agencies are combining these three jobs into one role and expecting one person to be able to do everything they want , but without the equivalent three salaries . They will advertise , but then ( obviously ) not get candidates with the combined skills that they want and then cry there is a skills shortage .
Employers need to be realistic about what they are looking for . There was a reason why traditionally these three roles were different www . conference-news . co . uk