Mindset Makes All the Difference

Today on ERE.net, Kevin Wheeler speaks about the mindset many recruiters have when thinking of their talent pool. Many complain that there is a huge lack of talent at all levels, in some cases, they're right, in others, all they need to do is look around and rethink their training, positions and what type of person they need. Can American companies retrain the workforce for the positions they need?The American military did this in WW2 and helped to train soldiers for roles they were not "qualified" for. Now, let's think of media...

Everyone cites very specific qualifications for a variety of roles. Yes, some need true experience while others could probably be handled through the following:

Mentoring Programs- How tough is it to match a new person with someone already there to learn the trade?

Basic Training- Not a book thrown at you on your first day, but a real basic training of what specific tasks need to be learned by the candidate. Not sink or swim.

At one of my previous employers, the training program for a junior sales rep. was more than two weeks of near constant training. The end result? By the end of their two weeks they were comfortable on the phone, making calls, had clear expectations, had their numbers and were fully amalgamated on the global team. It required a huge time investment on the Manager (moi) and had a three page living timeline of things to cover, but it worked wonders at the end.

Think about it as a recruiter or hiring manager. Although that candidate you are speaking with may not have a specific skill set think to yourself- do they have the potential? Can the skill be trained? Can they learn this? As I mentioned before, some skills cannot be taught on the job, that's a given, but I am sure there are some that can.

All it takes is some time.....

PB