Posted by Maureen Sharib
Kevin Wheeler has a great article up (June 1, 2007) over on ERE: Talent Shortage or Recruiter Lack?
Robert Reich, Bill Clinton's Labor Secretary and author of The Work of Nations, was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal a few days ago about his views on the workforce and talent. I think this quote sums up his attitude and opinion about where competitive advantage comes from:
"The only unique asset that a business has for gaining a sustained competitive advantage over rivals is its workforce…the skills and dedication of its employees. There is no other sustainable competitive advantage in the modern, high-tech, global economy."
While all recruiters that I know believe this is true and preach the value of defining and hiring the best people, it is hard to get hiring managers and executives to put budget dollars and actions in place to get that talent and keep it. You can read the whole very worthwhile thing here.
The reason I want you to read it is because it touches on one of the reasons telephone sourcing can fail. It drives home to me the importance of the front-end importance of understanding what your customer wants and what he’s willing (or able) to deliver. It’s kind of scary when you think about it – it’s not just your job to find the names but it’s also your job to vet his process on the front end. As Mr. Wheeler’s article points out to recruiters, the same applies to sourcers: it IS important to know the job description; it IS important to know the salary range; it is important to know who the “customer” is. For those of you dealing with third parties I suggest you insist they tell you who their customer is – most do this anyway but there are a few hold-outs – I suggest you examine their motivations.
“We can't come near his salary. We pay his "grade" about 3/4s what he's making!"
Then why in the world did you ask me to source out of his particular company? This is like one of the only reasons telephone sourcing fails - when the company trying to garner results out of the sourced names has unrealistic expectations of what the market is demanding. It doesn't happen a lot to me but it happens enough that I feel warranted in filing the complaint.
Another thing I'd like to say: in my opine, and mind you it is ONLY my opine; the NUMBER ONE reason people sell their businesses is because they cannot stand, for one minute longer, their employees. Uh-huh. It's not because they're not making money, it's not any of the reasons the public suspects - it's usually because they're filled with resentments toward their workforce.
Surprising? Maybe not when you take into consideration, and let's say it folks, the niggardliness some companies have towards compensation. The first place many companies look to cut costs is in their workforce when their stock takes a nosedive. It seems to fly in the face of what Mr. Reich says about competitive advantage, doesn’t it? Truth be known, many companies wish, in the secret hearts of the closeted C class, that they could exist WITHOUT a workforce!
I commend companies like Google who have the foresight to put their money where their mouths are regarding compensation. Not many do and those that do will lead in competitive advantage.
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