Here’s a good read from BusinessWeek.com titled Engaging Employees.  Retaining top employees has always been a business priority, but the Millenials/Gen Y will take this management skill to a new level.  That generation is looking for a strong bond with their manager and will gravitate towards managers who possess this ability.  And here is a clear description of why attracting and retaining top talent is mission critical:

Today’s business world is characterized by globalization, increasing competition, an ever-accelerating pace of change, an overabundance of information, a never-ending technology revolution, a growing number of mergers and acquisitions, layoffs, and a declining talent pool. In this chaotic world, a business can only survive if it can attract the best and the brightest to its workforce. It can only thrive if it continues to grow and develop, while retaining, the talents of its workforce.

Later the author expands on how managers can accomplish this goal:

The manager must use a variety of familiar management skills and apply them to the career context. Frequent discussions with staff members about what they do best and what they want to do should be routine. This type of ongoing dialogue enhances productivity and results in a partnership that aids the employee match positions or projects that maximize their talents.

For sales, this is an area in which we specialize.

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From Inc.com’s Online Job Ads Down:

The number of new job ads posted online fell by 94,000 to 4,280,400 in June, the Conference Board reported on Monday.

Despite the decline, online job ads were up 24 percent in the past 12 months, the report said.

One word – summer.  The 12 month numbers certainly show a significant shift towards online job boards which is either indicative of increased overall hiring and/or a move away from newspaper classifieds.

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From a sales ad I read this morning:

For more information on this position or to apply please forward your resume and a list of references to…

The ad is far too early for references and, quite frankly, I would be a bit surprised if any candidate provided references when simply responding to the ad.

References are highly valued by candidates and no matter what they say, a reference check is always an interruption to the reference person’s day.  Why would an applicant want to share that information without having any discussion about the position first?

References are the last step in the hiring process before the offer.  Do not expect candidates to blindly provide their cherished references on the first contact.

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