The term “War for Talent” or what we have been calling a Talent War, was first coined by Steven Hankin of McKinsey & Company all the way back in 1997. The war still wages on today.  The metaphorical battlefield has significantly changed and evolved in the past two decades.  Recruiters and internal Talent Acquisition departments are forced to find alternative ways to source top candidates, relying on ever-changing technology advancements, AI, and automation as their key success tools.  Candidates too have evolved in the way they procure a new career opportunity.  Gone are the days of the “cool and hip” work environment, sleep pods, or free drink stations.  Candidates are now looking, more than ever, for options such as flexible work schedules, mentoring Bosses, and a transparent career path.   As the war rages on, both with talent and with the pandemic, we continue to hear the numbers around job creation and the ever-increasing national unemployment rate, but what do those numbers really mean?

Unemployment can be affected in so many ways, those numbers can often be misleading and not a true representation of the current labor market in your industry.  Understanding the industries and types of skills, currently out of work, can help break out the true labor market across different skill sets and not just a lump sum of everyone.  Understanding this correlation will help us to determine what talent best fits your brand and what it will take to attract them.

 At ESPO, partnering talent with your brand is our daily way of life.  We do not just read a job description and match up some keywords.  We ask our clients to give us a true representation of the skills, abilities, culture, and growth potential.  This extensive understanding of a client’s needs and wants allows us to partner top talent in a career vs a job. 

Recruiting today’s world is not just a paint by numbers type of recruiting; it’s more like a 10,000 piece jigsaw puzzle all the same design with no border pieces.  It takes careful planning and execution to get the right pieces to fit into the right places to get be able to see the whole picture. 

 If you or someone you know is looking for a new career opportunity, please check out our job site at: https://espocorp.com/jobs

Also, if you are looking for the right puzzle piece to complete the hiring for your team, please give us a call at 630-789-2525.