The post Global Financial Crisis (GFC) landscape changed the business world in so many ways. Business models have had to be re-designed, credit has become harder to access and the world’s largest economy, the U.S., there is talk of a job-less recovery which is causing concern amongst many Americans.  Many thought the GFC would bring an end (or at least a pause) to the talent shortage that was gripping the world during the years of protracted growth in the first ten years of this century.

Early research showed the talent shortage had slowed but not reversed as top talent choose to stay with their current employer rather than risk moving to a new employer when the economic environment was so fragile. Following the aftermath of a near global recession, economies in many regions are starting to show positive signs of grow now with China forecast to grow around 10 percent in the 2010/2011 year. The talent shortages are likely to be more evident this time around as companies are also faced with an exodus of baby boomer employees who will choose to retire over the next 5 years. This is likely in many countries except places such as Turkey where there is an abundance of young labour with more than half the population under the median age of 28 years.

It is apparent that talent management has become one of the most critical  issues companies are facing in the new millennium. In a recent survey by PwC they  asked 56 company representatives in Turkey about their projections on talent management in the next five years and 47 percent of the participants responded that the biggest challenge will be managing the expectations of Generation Y (people born between 1980-2000).

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by Brett Minchington MBA and Dr David Kippen PhD

Brett and David will be presenting at the upcoming 2010 Employer Branding & Reputation Summit in Paris on 18 November 2010 click here for further details>

What do we talk about when we talk about leadership? Too often, we talk about personality, charisma and charm. Too often we talk about the type of traits that defines leadership as a very senior-executive, authoritarian affair.

In this article, we provide a somewhat different definition of leadership: “To lead is to decide.” Under this definition leadership has nothing to do with how many reports one has. It simply means having the opportunity and responsibility to make decisions that matter to others, on behalf of the organization.

To choose such a limited definition throws into relief some of the essential elements we define as branded leadership. It clearly shows that, at some points in our careers (and life), virtually all of us are leaders. As leaders, we all need to possess some fundamental skills such as strategic thinking, coaching, problem solving and managing change that too frequently are never taught at middle-management levels.

A brand leadership culture results in leadership status earned by doing, not by a hierarchical title. This means that your most effective leader may be the one serving your customers right now. It also means the process of training leaders needs to push further down into the organization than it typically does today. But take the challenge, think about leadership differently, and significant organizational benefits will be quick to surface at every level.

 

Defining branded leadership

So, what does it take to engender branded leadership? It begins with re-defining what it means to lead - and sharing that definition throughout the organization.

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HR Future, South Africa's leading HR magazine is now available FREE online to Employer Branding Online members.

To access the latest copy - July 2010 please click here >

or copy this url into your browser http://flipflashpages.uniflip.com/2/28870/64054/pub/
 

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While everyone is atwitter about using social media as a recruitment tool, branding opportunities that this presents are not being embraced. Human Capital talks to three experts about how to use your employer brand to target passive job seekers.

To read the article please click here and turn to page 10-11.

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PREMIUM CONTENT - FREE PUBLICATION DOWNLOAD

Introduction
There is much talk about what makes a great website, and a wide variety of opinion around how they should look and function, so I thought I might start this rant by busting a few myths.

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Article originally published in South Africa's leading HR publication, HR Future

Brett is an International monthly columnist on employer branding for HR Future

This article provides some insights into Employer Value Proposition development as featured in Brett's new book Employer Brand Leadership - A Global Perspective.

In the second of a two part series Brett Minchington discusses how to bring your employer value proposition (EVP) to life!

Communicating your employer value proposition (EVP) is one of the most challenging, but rewarding initiatives undertaken by leaders.

As stated in part 1 of this series, the EVP is a set of associations and offerings provided by your organisation in return for the skills, capabilities and experiences an employee brings to the organisation.

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Manpower Inc. annual survey reveals talent is elusive - everywhere yet nowhere - as shortages persist in key roles despite perpetual high unemployment worldwide

MILWAUKEE, May 20, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ -- Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) today released the results of its fifth annual Talent Shortage Survey, revealing that talent is elusive - it's everywhere yet nowhere, as talent shortages persist in many countries and industry sectors. Thirty-one percent of employers worldwide report having difficulty filling key positions within their organization - a rise of one percentage point from 2009, amidst a perpetual global pool of available workers.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060221/CGTU012LOGO)

The top hardest to fill jobs are Skilled Trades, Sales Representatives, Technicians and Engineers according to the survey of more than 35,000 employers across 36 countries. These are the same top jobs that employers have reported struggling to fill for the past four years, demonstrating that there is an ongoing global mismatch in these key areas.

"As the global economy slowly recovers, employers will remain focused on maintaining financial flexibility and doing more with less," said Jeffrey A. Joerres, Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO. "Applying the same mindset to their workforce, employers have gotten more specific about the combination of skill sets that they are looking for, not only seeking technical capabilities in a job match, but holding out for the person that possesses the additional qualities above and beyond that will help drive their organization forward. This conundrum is upsetting to the ubiquitous job seeker, who will need to take more responsibility for his/her skills development in order to find ways to remain relevant to the market."

Jobs most in demand in 2010           Jobs most in demand in 2009
    1.   Skilled Trades                   1.   Skilled Trades
    2.   Sales Representatives            2.   Sales Representatives
    3.   Technicians                      3.   Technicians
    4.   Engineers                        4.   Engineers
    5.   Accounting & Finance Staff       5.   Management/Executives
    6.   Production Operators             6.   Accounting & Finance Staff
    7.   Administrative Assistants / PAs  7.   Laborers
    8.   Management/Executives            8.   Production Operators
    9.   Drivers                          9.   Administrative Assistants / PAs
    10.  Laborers                         10.  Drivers

Manpower's Fresh Perspectives paper, "Teachable Fit: A New Approach for Easing the Talent Mismatch", also released today, details how employers should broaden their search for suitable talent by considering industry migrants, location migrants, role changers and workforce entrants. Companies must identify those workers who are best positioned -- thanks to their skills and their personalities -- to benefit from training and development in order to successfully tap into these talent pools and fill gaps in their capabilities.

"Employers, need to recalibrate their mindsets to consider candidates who may not have all the specific skills a job requires and identify people that are teachable," added Joerres. "Candidates may not present the perfect fit right now, but they may possess the flexibility, intellectual curiosity and personality to be able to fill the gaps in their capabilities."

Globally, Employers having the most difficulty finding the right people to fill jobs are those in Japan (76%), Brazil (64%), Argentina (53%), Singapore (53%), Poland (51%), Australia (45%), Hong Kong (44%), Mexico (43%), Peru (42%), Taiwan (41%), China (40%) and Panama (38%). Compared to 2009, employers are reporting that talent shortages are considerably less pervasive in Romania (down 26 percentage points), Taiwan (down 21 percentage points), and South Africa (down 19 percentage points).

Americas

In the Americas, the survey shows that 34 percent of the region's employers are having difficulty filling positions due to the lack of suitable talent available in their markets. This is a decrease of two percentage points when compared to the 2009 survey and is three percentage points greater than the global average.

Vacancies for technicians are the most difficult to fill in the Americas for the third year in succession. Employers are identifying secretaries, PAs and administrative assistants as the second most difficult, followed by laborers and sales representatives in third and forth positions. Employers in Brazil (64%) and Argentina (53%) are having the most difficulty finding staff, while those in the United States (14%) and Canada (21%) are having the least difficulty.

Asia Pacific

Talent shortages in Asia Pacific are ten percent higher than the global average, with 41 percent of the region's employers indicating they are having difficulty filling positions due to the lack of suitable talent in their markets. This is a nine percentage point increase when compared to the 2009 survey.

Employers having the most difficulty finding the right talent to fill jobs are those in Japan (a huge 76%), Singapore, (53%), Australia (45%) and Hong Kong (44%). The talent shortage appears to be least problematic in India (16%).

There remains a clear talent shortage of skilled sales representatives in Asia Pacific, as this job remains the most difficult to fill for the fifth year in succession.

Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)

Across the 18 countries surveyed in EMEA, 23 percent of the region's employers report having difficulty filling positions due to the lack of suitable talent available in their markets. This is a two percentage point decline when compared to the 2009 survey and is eight percentage points lower than the global average.

Those having the most difficulty finding the right talent to fill jobs are in Poland (51%), Romania (36%), Austria and Switzerland (both 35%). The talent shortage appears to be least problematic in Ireland (4%), the United Kingdom (9%) and Norway (11%).

EMEA employers named skilled trades as the most difficult position to fill for the fourth year in succession, followed by sales representatives, and technicians in third place.

The complete results of Manpower's annual global talent shortage survey and Fresh Perspectives Paper Teachable Fit: A New Approach for Easing the Talent Mismatch can be downloaded at www.manpower.com/ResearchCenter.

Note to editors

Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) surveyed over 35,000 employers across 36 countries and territories during the first quarter of 2010 to determine the extent in which talent shortages are impacting today's labor markets. To obtain the full Manpower Talent Shortage Survey results, click on the following link: http://www.manpower.com/ResearchCenter

In this survey, 'skilled trades' refers to a broad range of job titles that require workers to possess specialized skills, traditionally learned over a period of time as an apprentice. Examples of 'skilled trades' jobs include: electricians, carpenters, cabinet makers, masons/bricklayers, plumbers and welders.

About Manpower Inc.

Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) is a world leader in innovative workforce solutions; creating and delivering services that enable its clients to win in the changing world of work. With over 60 years' experience, Manpower offers employers a range of services and solutions for the entire employment and business cycle including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment; employee assessment and selection; training; outplacement; outsourcing and consulting. Manpower's worldwide network of nearly 4,000 offices in 82 countries and territories is the largest in the industry and enables the company to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, including small and medium size enterprises in all industry sectors, as well as the world's largest multinational corporations. The focus of Manpower's work is on raising productivity through improved quality, efficiency and cost-reduction across their total workforce, enabling clients to concentrate on their core business activities. Manpower Inc. operates under five brands: Manpower, Manpower Professional, Elan, Jefferson Wells and Right Management. More information on Manpower Inc. is available at www.manpower.com.

SOURCE Manpower Inc.

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Original article published on www.ere.net

Influencing candidates to join your company will require a segmented and targeted recruitment communications approach — that’s the key take-away from our Employer Brand International’s global research study to identify the key ‘Influencers of Employment Choice.’ The global study surveyed more than 400 employees to determine what influences their employment choice. The survey found there was a high degree of variation by region, gender, age, organization type, position levels, and employment tenure across 15 employment attributes such as leadership, communications, work environment, and corporate social responsibility. The findings provide a wakeup call for organizations currently relying on a ‘one size fits all’ approach to recruiting talent.

The findings come at a critical time as organizations adapt to the ‘new normal’ where the cost of a bad hire will impact companies more than ever before.

Recruitment spend is hard to come by, post-global financial crisis, and the days of throwing large amounts of money at recruitment mass-marketing campaigns that fail to communicate the company’s value proposition(s) are over.

Gender differences
The study found if you want to influence women in their employment choice you need to communicate flexible working patterns and a friendly working environment. Compared to men, flexible working patterns are six times more likely to influence women in their employment choice. For males the opportunity to work with thought leaders, an organization with a culture of innovation, and a clearly defined mission have a stronger influence on their choice of employer.

Organization type
The research shows employees in private companies can be influenced to join companies who value leadership, reward for performance, and have a global perspective in their work much more than not-for-profit and government sector employees. On the other hand, government employees are more influenced in their employment choice by companies that offer flexible work patterns and who can demonstrate an authentic approach towards corporate social responsibility (see figure 1).

Furthermore the opportunity to work with thought leaders is nearly twice as strong an influencer of employment choice for employees in the private sector compared to government. Working for a company with inspiring leadership is three times a stronger influence for employees in the private sector compared to not-for-profit and government employees.

Position level
Entry-level and administration staff are more influenced by a value proposition that promotes work-life balance — hence the importance of flexibility, work environment, and career development to this segment. Senior management and executives look more at the type of company you are, and can be influenced in their employment choice by companies which promote the opportunity to work with thought leaders, promote a culture of innovation, a clearly define mission, and high levels of customer service.

Influencing the generations
Interestingly, being rewarded for performance decreases in strength of influence of employment choice as age increases. However, working for a company that provides a high level of customer service increases in influence of employment choice as age increases. It is nearly five times as strong an influencer of employment choice for 50+ years compared to 18-29 year olds.

What’s happened to all the fun?
While the word ‘fun’ at work has different connotations in different cultures, a friendly working environment is viewed as a strong influencer of employment choice for younger employees, and declines with age (nearly three times stronger for 18-29 years compared to 50+ years). Accounting software provider Intuit bought the fun out into the open with its ‘Be.’ Campaign when it ran a competition for employees to show how they could ‘Be…….(add personal comment) themselves at Intuit!

Implications for Leaders
Based on the outcomes of the research there are five key areas leaders should focus efforts to ensure recruitment marketing messages resonate with the target audience they are trying to recruit the best talent from.

1. Focus on the employee lifecycle. A good place to start to better understand the needs of your target audience is with your existing workforce. Undertake an employee lifecycle-mapping exercise and look for commonalities and differences across key segments of the employee population, e.g. position in company, tenure of employment, etc. You could then overlay this list with your talent segments to determine the type of recruitment communication messages which are likely to appeal to and engage the target audience you are seeking to recruit. Recruiters should recognize that employees are seeking different needs at different stages of the lifecycle and develop value propositions which clearly articulate what candidates can expect here!
2. Personalization. Recruitment communications should attempt to communicate and engage with candidates at an individual level. Deloitte in New Zealand did this well with its ‘Your Future at Deloitte (New Zealand)’ Facebook page where you can view videos and photos which provide an insight into their culture. It has also streamed live webcasts for candidates to connect with consulting graduates to learn about their experiences at Deloitte.
3. Build and nurture community. Building community with your target audience takes time and is still seen by many companies as a chore rather part of a strategic recruiting tactic. Sodexo, a global food services group, builds community across multiple platforms and has invested staffing resources to ensure communication is two-way conversation between recruiters and their talent communities. There is a culture among Sodexo’s recruiters to support the community-building process. It’s not left up to only one or two people; it’s integrated into the culture. Companies such as Starbucks have extended their consumer and employer brand across their 8.5 million Facebook followers and 900,000+ followers on Twitter to promote product launches, special discounts, and job openings. A recent campaign using social media bought 1 million customers into their stores one morning with the offer of a free muffin with each coffee purchase. That’s where the ROI comes from — and the impact on employee morale is infectious.
4. Authenticity. Philips ‘Inside stories’ campaign was one of the first attempts by a company to provide insights into a company’s culture via its career website — and it got it right the first time! The key to communicating authenticity is to ensure commentary and approach is realistic and believable rather than the scripted Hollywood-like scenes we still see too much of today!
5. Communicate your culture. Advances in technology have provided companies with innovative ways to communicate the employment experience. Celebrating employee advocacy has moved from testimonials in text on career websites to company YouTube channels, Twitter streams, Facebook communities, ‘a day in the life’ videos, and ‘flip cams’ showing insights into the culture of a company. Candidates are thirsty for as much information they can get to help them make the right decision on which company is right for them. There are benefits for companies too — increased quality of hire, reduction in volume of resumes to sort, and appealing to candidates who really want to work for the company and contribute to productivity and growth objectives.

A concluding thought!

And don’t forget only promise what you can deliver. Trust can take a lifetime to build and only one Twitter post to destroy!

Brett Minchington, Chairman/CEO of the Employer Brand International is an International employer brand strategist, author and educator. Brett’s expertise in Employer Branding led him to author “Your Employer Brand attract-engage-retain” in 2006 which has since been sold in over 42 countries.  Brett has delivered employer branding key note addresses, executive briefings, masterclass events and chaired Summits in more than 30 cities in 20 countries and has been published in HR, Marketing and Management magazines globally including The Economist and Business Week.  He is also a regular commentator on employer branding for the media. His new book Employer Brand Leadership - A Global Perspective will be publish soon.

To contact  Brett please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
 

Connect with Brett - You can follow him on Twitter, watch him on YouTube connect with him via LinkedIn, or friend him on Facebook

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Article originally published in South Africa's leading HR publication, HR Future - Brett Minchington is an International monthly columnist on employer branding for HR Future.

This article provides some insights into Employer Branding 3.0 as featured in Brett's new book Employer Brand Leadership - A Global Perspective.

For the past two and half years I have been travelling the world interacting with leaders and sharing best practice in employer branding. Each new country provides an opportunity to learn about the local nuances and the challenges of delivering an employment experience which positively impacts on an employee’s ability to deliver a brand experience expected by their customers.

In each of the twenty countries I have travelled to, it is evident there are political, economic, social and technological forces confronting companies which will require a combined stakeholder effort to ensure business sustainability.  However I find there is one common force that connects us all - the human will to create a better society. We hear political leaders talk about it in discussions on critical issues such as climate change, financial reform and labour practices. Future sustainability will require a collaborative effort to maintain a healthy balance of ‘what’s good for profit’ and ‘what’s good for society.’

A study by the US Federal Reserve Board showed the dramatic increase in the importance of intangibles such as brand to overall corporate value in the second half of the twentieth century. Today it is possible to argue that in general the majority of business value is derived from intangibles such as the employer brand.

Since its inception in the early 1990’s employer branding has evolved through three stages: employer branding 1.0, employer branding 2.0 and employer branding 3.0 (see table 1).

Employer branding 1.0 was characterised by one-way interactions between employers and their employees and customers. Employees were seen as an infinite resource and talent was in abundance during the industrial revolution. Jobs were for life and employer branding was used to fill jobs as companies experienced growth.

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Employer branding is much closer to “internal marketing”, that is treating employees as customers and seeking recruitment of the most value-adding employees, their retention, their understanding of and commitment to the company’s vision, short and long-term goals.

The employer branding process involves a comprehensive study of the ‘the way we are’ and ‘the way we want to be’ for the organisation. It is important to start by defining and identifying the existing employer brand by asking employees for feedback on the way they perceive the company and its ‘personality’.

This will help the HR team define the positive and negative qualities of the systems and culture in place hence providing a clear idea about employee expectations - the hygiene and motivation factors. The next step is the development of the ideal employer brand as per the company’s requirements.

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