Why Is It So Difficult To Find The Right People?

In the same way that you need to be aware of the key issues in your market in order to trade successfully, you also need to be aware of what is going on in the candidate market to successfully attract and recruit the right people.

• No More Jobs For Life - Gone are the notions of ‘jobs for life' with any one employer. Similarly, people tend to have less loyalty towards any one employer. Today's school leavers will have not just a number of different jobs throughout their lives, but also a number of different ‘careers' through their lifetime

• More Mobile Workforce - As people become much more open to changing jobs and careers, the internet has made changing jobs so much easier. There is also much more movement of people to different cities, countries and continents.

• Technology - The advance of technology means greater competition on a global basis, changing job roles and skills. This has enabled more mobile and home working as well as many more small business start-ups which mean that people have more choice in where and how to work.

• Demographic Changes - Many of the western economies are facing increasing challenges brought on by declining birth rates since the 1960s. The result is an ageing workforce with less talent coming through the ranks and shortages of people likely to continue.

• Wealth - As many of the modern world economies become wealthier, so the workforce is looking for more from their work and their lives. We travel more, are more cultured and want more fulfilment in our lives and our work.

• Work-Life Balance - With this wealth has come the increasing emphasis on a ‘work –life balance.

' People no longer want a job for life, but a job with life. They want a healthy balance between work and their lives away from work and are therefore much choosier about the jobs they take on.

• Sense of Purpose - Linked into the above factors, many people these days are looking for a sense of meaning and purpose from their work.

Unlike previous generations who may have looked at work as a means to earn a wage, more and more people look to their workplace to give them a sense of purpose and will readily move on if they don't find it.

This may be because of the job itself, or indeed the company and the way they operate.

• The Pace of Change - Increased competition in most sectors coupled with increased technology means your business has to keep changing faster than it ever used to just to survive.

But the labour market cannot always keep up with this pace and so it often appears that there is "no one out there" in the market, when in fact there is; they just don't have the exact skills and experiences you need to fit your changing business.

• A More Discerning Candidate - Just as your customers and clients have become more discerning, so too have candidates in their job search.

They are more knowledgeable, better aware of the marketplace and more demanding than previous generations and so it's much harder to attract them than it used to be.

Collectively, a combination of these factors has led to some of the challenges many businesses face today in finding the right people.

To what extent each of these factors affects your own business will be different depending on the market you are in and the conditions in your local economy. But fundamentally, the rules of recruitment have changed – you cannot just do what has worked for years, because it's simply not effective any more.

Those businesses that change the way they recruit will be the ones that succeed in attracting the right people.

My approach to recruitment takes all this into account – you need to start thinking about your vacancy as an opportunity and a lifestyle you are selling, not just a job.

You need real clarity about what is you are looking and real clarity around your unique proposition as employer. And then be highly proactive in getting out and finding and selecting people to fit your requirements.