As school starts across the country, there is a pool of available talent that may be looking for a “right fit” job, including employees that left your organization to stay home with children who now may be headed to school.  Here are some thoughts on how you can fill some of your gaps with this amazing talent.

As your company continues to work toward diversity goals, take a look at your benefits to ensure they foster a sense of inclusion and belonging. Here are a few places to start:

There are many industries and organizations that must have people onsite to get their work done. To compete for talent when remote work isn’t an option,these organizations should look at what they can do to give people more flexibility in their work.

Recently Fast Company magazine asked the question, “Is the candidate’s market over? My answer, “No.” Here are my 3 reasons why not:

You did it! You got the coveted acceptance from the candidate you worked so hard to find. Now, plan their pre-boarding and onboarding with the care it deserves.

I’ve seen many postings lately about ghosting by recruiters. If we’re going to complain about candidates ghosting us, perhaps a look in the mirror would be timely!

The intake meeting. That first step to finding the best talent available. Yet, it is a step that many recruiters overlook or skip altogether. To build the partnership needed to find the right person for a job, it is critical that the hiring manager and recruiter discuss each requisition and ensure they’re on the same page.

Ever had a hiring manager say, “I don’t have time to interview,” while you’re struggling to send them qualified people who statistics say will be on the market only about 10 days? Here are some helpful ways to get your interviewers ready to go:

Take a look at the job descriptions and job postings you are putting out into the world. Does the role sound interesting, challenging and like a good career move, OR does it put you to sleep with all its requirements? 

Many studies show how diversity in teams and companies positively enhances flexibility, creativity and innovation in workgroups. Plus, in many public-facing industries (including healthcare), business or care are enhanced when people feel more comfortable.

So, change your philosophy to: “We need to build – and engage with – the talent we are going to need.” Ever since I entered recruiting, the idea has been “if you post it, they will come.” The new reality is you need to build the skilled talent

Tuition assistance or tuition reimbursement programs are assets many organizations underutilize and overlook. Many organizations simply implement them and forget them. What if, instead, the focus of these programs becomes building the talent that your organization needs for the future – and being able to predict when that talent would be ready?

I have done several “Candidate Experience Audits” for companies lately, and they have reminded me that we need to focus on the basics. IF we don’t have the basics down, the best tech, the flashiest job description, and the best benefits and compensation won’t matter.

Job descriptions are the foundation of compensation and talent acquisition. Their accuracy is critical to ensuring the right talent is found. That being said, I don’t know many hiring managers who like writing job descriptions!

The standard story today is that there isn’t enough talent available. I think it is a skills shortage instead. The days of employers being able to post a job and assume that the trained and skilled talent will be there are ending. Companies that build sustainable talent pipelines are the ones that will succeed in this employment market.

Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in the Now Of Work webinar with Jason Averbrook and Jess VonBank from Leapgen. Ever since that conversation, I’ve been thinking about the future of Talent Acquisition (or recruiting) and how it needs to evolve to adapt to the changes happening now – and the ones that are coming – to how people work.

What a fascinating first month for Sunflower Talent Strategies! I have certainly learned a lot about the current challenges in Talent Acquisition, and I know how hard many of you are working to make a difference for your organizations. I chose sunflower as the name for my consulting practice, not just because it is the flower of my home state of Kansas, but because it stands for optimism, honesty, longevity, and joy.

Returnships can provide access to a hidden talent pool that is searching for a way back to the workforce. Not sure what a returnship is? A returnship is similar to an internship, except it targets those who have been out of the workforce for a period of time for reasons as varied as sabbaticals, raising a family, and caregiving.

The next phenomenon in talent acquisition after The Great Resignation? Shift Shock, a term coined by The Muse to capture the feelings of the 72% of people who left their jobs and discovered the new position or company is different than they were led to believe.