Presentation to the Association of Government Accounts adapted with permission from Genevieve Roberts, Managing Principal February 12, 2008

What war? How bad is it? How can we win? Tactics for Winning the Talent War

Aging workforce Fewer college graduates Immigration constraints The Challenge

Labor shortage = increased wages and benefits 5.7 million U.S. small employers competing with big corporations 20% of small businesses raising wages this year Small business, big fight

Winning tactics 1.Grow your own 2.Use intelligent recruiting

Harvard University touting “Don’t Hire Great Leaders, Make Your Own” Grow Your Own

Retain good talent Figure out which jobs need to be filled Determine necessary skills Select talent with potential Groom for success

Grow Your Own Select employees who have potential Offer opportunities to demonstrate potential Play to strengths (minimum skill levels must be met) Focus selection process

Grow Your Own Target employees for potential roles Assess against competency model Create an individualized development plan –mentors, coaches, training, case study assignments, reading/researching, temporary assignments to new departments, learning from mistakes Process must be jointly owned by the employee and manager and reviewed on a consistent basis

Grow Your Own Breathing life into the individual development plan –Working document, not static –Consistent review –Consistent feedback –Consistent improvement Professional development builds loyalty

SHRM: top actions many organizations are planning to take: Train line managers to respond to generational differences Plan actively for succession of key managers Invest in training and development to boost employee skills Foster work/life balance Attract/retain generations X and Y Drive benefits by demographic needs Use “intelligent recruiting”: innovative, creative ways to uncover, woo, and hire talent hold on to great employees

Technology has changed the way we help businesses find and hold onto talent Call in the recruitment experts

2007 shrm internet survey Applicant tracking systems are used by over half of organizations surveyed Online recruitment accounted for 56% of job candidates (24% in 2002) Employee referral programs are considered by those surveyed to be the most effective recruiting source (69%)

Adding recruitment pages to existing organizational websites Using specialized recruitment websites Interactive tools Online screening Common practices for online recruiting

Webfeet reports: 97% of job seekers rely on company websites and 1 in 4 decides not to work for a company based solely on its website. From the candidate’s perspective

Interactive solutions move candidates through pre-screening to orientation and even track new hires through the first year of employment (on boarding). Interactive solutions

Studies show it is important to stay in touch with candidates from the moment they show interest in your company Speed of execution matters Constant communication wins

Relationship marketing through technology

Employer branding

All companies need a strong online presence with a well-designed, user-friendly website. Career websites

The war on talent has no end in sight