The latest Q4 hiring survey is out, this time from CareerBuilder and USAToday. From the press release with my emphasis:

The survey, titled “Q4 2007 Job Forecast,” was conducted from August 10 through September 4, 2007 of more than 2,700 hiring managers and human resource professionals in private sector companies. “Given the housing slump and tight credit market, caution is to be expected when it comes to hiring in the fourth quarter,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder.com. “While employers are keeping a watchful eye on economic indicators, they are still planning to expand staffs at a steady pace and are actively competing for qualified labor. Forty-four percent of employers said they currently have open positions for which they cannot find qualified candidates.” One-in-four employers (27 percent) report they will add new employees in the fourth quarter. Six percent expect a decrease in staff levels while 62 percent anticipate no change and five percent are unsure.

Don’t you love how every piece of economic news is accompanied by the “housing slump and tight credit market” precursor? We moved 2.5 years ago because we knew the torrid housing market was starting to slow down. 2.5 years ago. These reports characterize the housing slump as if it is breaking news when in actuality it is more like reporting on a glacier’s movement.

I will refrain from launching on the stereotypical economic reporting of the mainstream media and instead focus on the fact that 44% of the surveyed employers have open positions and no qualified candidates. Almost half of the 2,700 companies cannot fill openings today – is it any wonder only 1 in 4 are going to expand hiring this quarter. They can’t fill their open positions today.

This aspect of the story is the story.

The ramifications of this immediate need provides a real threat to the economy. A shrinking labor pool (i.e. Baby Boomer retirement) combined with an expanding economy will put constraints on business growth. I would like to read a story based on that angle and the possible solutions for it.

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ManageSmarter.com offers 7 suggestions for sales managers to make them more effective:

1. Do not micromanage people
2. Take time when increasing expenses
3. Take care of your “stars”
4. Be teachable
5. Focus on the things that make a major difference
6. Be sure to understand the ‘hierarchy’
7. Earn the respect of the people you are leading

You will have to read the article to get the details for each point. But here is the take-away from point #5:

There is a tendency to get caught up in making changes to areas that are irrelevant to productivity yet have a negative impact on the staff. Let the little things go while attending to the major shortcomings of the enterprise. Long-term employees typically resist change. Easing the pain with the process by altering the big things nets greater dividends.

How true. I worked at a company where there were meetings about the most ridiculous items that we became fed up with it all. A group of us who were tasked with producing results formed our own clandestine group with our own meetings. We discussed the major objectives and tasks at hand, divided them up between us and then went out and accomplished them.

It was like a shadow management team. And it was more effective than the lead team.

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This week we focus on a unique trait in that it is usually low amongst jobseekers.  They are confused or unclear about their current role and looking to find clarity in their next role.  This fact is the reason why we stress a strong onramping program for all new sales hires.  A clear program immediately sets the parameters of their new role – something that was most likely missing from their previous position.

Role Awareness
The ability of a salesperson to be aware of their role in the world or within a given environment.  This is the ability to understand the expectations placed on a position and to clearly see how those expectations are to be met.

A salesperson with strength in this trait will understand what they are doing, what is expected of them and how they are suppose to be doing it. Having this understanding will allow them to utilize their other personal strengths and abilities to fulfill the role which they are in.

A weakness in this area indicates a lack of understanding for the role someone occupies.  They are either unclear as to what it is they feel they should be doing or they have not been informed adequately as to what the expectations are of their role or duties.

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