Get Out of the Box

So I was talking to a prospective customer earlier this week and they iterated yet again what I've been hearing for a while now--there is a skills shortage developing in many  industries. We've known it for a while in health care--especially clinicians and RNs, and many of the science-heavy businesses like aerospace, petrochemical, and pharma. Now it seems that virtually every industry is reporting key shortages. The current issue of Human Resource Executive features a cover story entitled Filling the Gap. So what's the read here? It's time for corporate recruiting organizations to start thinking out of the box, be more strategic, and try to get ahead of the game. Think about how to source candidates from closely related skill sets or competencies--it might be amazing what some "fresh eyes" can do for any business in creative innovative products and services. Get out there, talk to hiring managers, understand what the really need. Then get creative in sourcing for the upcoming positions ahead of the actual demand. Filling reqs reactively is NOT strategic. And searching existing resume databases to fill position after position is certainly not thinking out of the box! Dare to be amazing--your company will thank you!