HOW OBAMA WILL FIX THE ECONOMY AND RE-INVENT RECRUITING

Ask anyone in the Obama administration about the country’s present unemployment situation and you will probably get the standard talking point answers.

It goes something like this:  We inherited a very bad economy, and in the first term the stimulus was very helpful in reducing the unemployment rate.  But we still have a long way to go, because there are millions of people still trying unsuccessfully to find a job.  And another problem we have to deal with is the four million jobs that remain unfilled.

The reason why most unemployed cannot find jobs as more jobs remain unfilled is because a skill gap exists in the labor market-employers simply cannot find enough qualified applicants to fill their jobs.  So, in the second term, my administration will focus on education and technology training to get unemployed applicants the skills they will need to fill those jobs and remain employable.

This is how Obama needs to frame the message to inject confidence in the workforce and as a result will organically stimulate the economy.

Mr. Employer, your business is a lot like a professional sports team.  The team that invests in recruiting the best talent will win more business.  To employ the best talent, starts with an aggressive recruitment strategy because the global war for talent is real and we need to remain competitive.

This skill-gap problem exists because our present recruitment model is broken; our best talents are not actively participating in our recruitment process.  The reason they are not participating is because they are not applying for jobs.  And the reason they are not applying for jobs is because they have jobs.

Ask anyone in the recruitment Industry and they will tell you that the recruitment space is saturated with vendors selling recruitment solutions to employers.  But when you cut through all the noise, they are all selling the same solution to everyone.  What they are all selling is another easier, faster and cheaper way for you to find the type of resumes that you are looking for.

I understand that the recruitment vendors have placed a bigger problem between you and your problem.  And I understand that your problem as an employer is that you are leaving money on the table the longer a job remains unfilled, because you cannot find enough qualified applicants to fill your jobs. I also understand that these recruitment solutions are adequate for the individuals that are actively looking for jobs, but they do not go far enough to recruit the ones that are not actively looking for a job.

What is interesting is that headhunting has been the most effective method for recruiting the best talent-the ones that are not actively looking.  But today, employers seldom use headhunters.  They say it is because the headhunter fees are way too expensive and they do not have the budget.  And why should anyone pay fees to headhunters when there are many cheaper ways to find good resumes?

Mr. Employer I understand your situation and I feel your pain.  But let me say this; you play a very important role in our economic recovery.  Without your participation, our job market will be equivalent to a swimming pool that lacks proper filtration.  If it doesn’t have a pump and a filtering device, the water will become stagnated and contaminated with algae.  Our economy has become stagnated just like the swimming pool, our best talents are not moving and they will not move because a job was advertised.  You need to put headhunters into the hunt and back on your team.

That is why my administration is rolling out a cost effective recruitment method that will allow employers to use headhunters to effectively recruit the best talent- ones that are not actively looking.  And at the same time, it would motivate and incentivize the best headhunters to dazzle you with their creativity and as a result, generate more revenue for themselves.

Very shortly we will roll-out this new recruitment model and make no mistake; this recruiting model will re-invent recruiting.  It will bring personal touch back into recruiting.  It will bring real relationships back into recruiting.  It will put recruiting back into the hands of professionals-the ones that recruit for a living.

Will you stand with me?