Top Talent Is Always In Demand

A friend reached out to me less than three months ago and told me she was activating her job search. She told me she had reached a breaking point with her employer and no longer felt valued.

She could have stayed put and tried to ride things out, but decided to look elsewhere.

Before starting her job search, she received weekly calls about some fantastic job opportunities and passed this information along to those in her network. That was until she decided to entertain conversations with those who were pursuing her.

My friend called me last week to share the exciting news. She had several incredible opportunities on the line and received an offer she couldn’t refuse.

There are a lot of takeaways from this story. Here are a few.

Employers: Top talent is in demand even in a pandemic. Right now, someone is reaching out to your top people and trying to entice them to consider making a move. How your people respond is entirely up to you.

Have you been remaining in touch with those whom you’d miss the most if they were gone? Are you working diligently to ensure your people feel valued? Have you had a conversation lately about career options within your organization?

Hopefully, it’s not too late. Make these kinds of conversations a priority. Schedule monthly check-in calls and have meaningful discussions. If it’s on your calendar, it will get done.

Recruiters and Hiring Managers: My friend noticed a dramatic difference between how one company recruits versus another. The approach a company takes is reflective of their company culture.

The company she decided to go with was transparent and nurturing throughout the process.

Is this how people would describe the candidate experience with your organization?

I’ll admit that it’s hard to know what people are feeling about something they’ve experienced, which is why I’m always suggesting that you take a few minutes to ask.

Reach out to people who have recently accepted your job offer and ask them to share with you three words that immediately come to mind about their experience as a candidate. Remind them that you’d like them to be as candid as possible so that you can make improvements where needed. Take this one step further and reach out to those who’ve recently declined your offer and ask them the same question.

Analyze the responses and look for patterns. Then create a plan to improve your recruitment and hiring process.

Job Seekers and Those Unhappy in Their Current Position: It’s easy to get caught up in the terrible job numbers reported monthly. It certainly sounds like no one is hiring. This couldn’t be further from the truth. There are jobs to be had for those willing to do the work.

For example, one of my job search coaching clients has had tremendous success lining up job interviews and appears to be close to an offer of employment. She’s networking like crazy and is open to whatever feedback I offer. She’s got her eye on the prize and won’t let up until she’s got a great job offer in her hand.

Look, no one knows how much longer this pandemic will go on and what the after-effects will be on the job market. Does the thought of doing another six months or a year in your current position make you want to scream?

If so, take action. What’s the worst thing that could happen?

• You get a job offer, and you decide to remain in your current position.
• You don’t find a better position, and you remain where you are. Nothing lost, and at least you know you’ve tried.
• You receive an incredible job offer. You accept, and you’re once again excited about the work you’re doing.

Top talent always has a choice in regard to employment opportunities. Here’s to a happy and productive workplace filled with an abundance of talent.