ALUMRISE

 

Libby Sartain, Author of Brand for Talent

ALUMRISE is proud to count among its advisors HR guru and author Libby Sartain. Libby’s distinguished career includes serving as head of people for Southwest Airlines and as head of human resources for Yahoo! Inc. She recently entered a new lifestage as an author, speaker and advisor. Her most recent book, Brand for Talent, is making waves. In the related post below, she shares a perspective on the changing employee — a “consumer of work.”

Libby’s Guest Blog

In just the past couple of years the marketplace for talent has churned like never before. Organizations need for talent has intensified while the supply and demand of essential workers ebbs and flows.  The need to engage workers is strong, but the very environment in which we operate makes engagement more difficult.

The speed at which change occurs in today’s business environment has produced an era of volatility making it difficult to for any organization to craft a practical strategic workforce plan with a view much beyond the current budget cycle. At the same time, the market for talent has tightened, even in a down economy. There are segments of work where supply of workers cannot keep up with demand.

In the past, the solution for business has been to hire workers on the open market versus growing them from within.  And, when faced with business setbacks, the reaction is to reduce the workforce of workers who may be needed later when conditions improve.  Yet, as the need to control costs while maintaining optimum talent resources has escalated, this approach has proven to be unsustainable over the long term. Hiring from the outside is expensive and the workers with the right skill sets are rarely readily available.  Reductions in force nullify all investments made in the workers who are let go.

At the same, workers themselves have changed.  While the baby boomers may have switched organizations 4 or five times during their career, as compared to their parents who worked for 1 or 2 companies; the next generation is expected to change organizations every two years and may change careers several times during their work-lives.

Baby boomers will continue to work during past traditional retirement age, some on a part-time or contract basis, while working parents will also look for more flexible arrangements. And, technology allows many “creative class” workers to disengage from the traditional work environment in favor of work on their own terms.

Workers of all demographics look for more than just a “job”.  They look for a meaningful work experience that allows them to contribute what they do best, feel part of something significant, and enhances their career from a development and personal point of view.

Today’s worker views their professional skill set as a product for sale and is at the same time they are a consumer. The worker has expectations of what that skill set will bring in today’s talent marketplace. All the while, the worker is shopping for the right experience, or relationship with a place to work. 

Organizations need talent, but the need fluctuates. It is foreseeable that the same workers will come and go from the same organizations multiple times as both the workers and the organization’s needs evolve.

All of this is enabled by technology.  In the past, employers posted job descriptions and compliant candidates applied for open “jobs”.  Evolving now is an online community enhanced by Web 2.0 technology where the workers post their profiles and terms and conditions for working to be found by talent scouts scouring blogs, websites and social networks. 

The relationship between employers and potential workers could one day look more like eBay versus Monster.  Workers will be in the drivers seat and might post their requirements while employers will hire workers for time periods where they need the work.

All of this change will pose many challenges for employers. How will organizations keep core workers engaged and on board for the long term? What kind of systems and management infrastructure will be required to manage a new kind of workforce? How can an employer brand itself as an employer of choice for this new kind of worker? How can an employer stay relevant to all the segments of talent it needs to keep and to attract?

Strategic workforce management will involve a sourcing strategy that will look more like a consumer marketing strategy. Employers will need a targeted branded marking campaign aimed at each critical talent segment through multi-channel marketing.

Now is the time for employers to get ready for this new consumer of work by establishing a branding strategy for critical talent segments. Now is the time for workers to establish their own brands as they look for the experience that meets their needs.

John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas

Last week, I was invited by a thoughtful outplacement industry leader, to attend a breakfast to hear some data and insights about today’s talent economy.

Over some scrambled eggs and fruit, I had the chance to hear from research firm Birkman about the results of a multi-year leadership/talent survey and to also hear from John Challenger, the CEO of venerable outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas. Mr Challenger shared some personal hiring landscape insights and observations. (If you have not had a chance to hear Mr. Challenger speak or read one of his columns, I highly recommend it.)

With many today wondering what the hiring future holds, I wanted to share the morning’s key themes with members of our ALUMRISER network - which today includes both C-Level executives as well as many experienced middle managers seeking new opportunities. At the end of this post, I’ll also share some personal take-aways and implications.

Another One Bites the Dust: The landscape is changing – and it will take time to return to traditional hiring patterns

• Many companies are freezing salaries, or even taking across-the-board salary cuts — in some cases up to 30-50%; Others are mandating strategies like a 4-day workweek. The silver lining to the extreme moves? They are in most cases alternatives to layoffs — and designed to keep valued talent close. Midsize companies are more likely to use these tactics today, possibly because they are more lean and more dependent on key talent inside their ranks
• In contrast, large companies are actively considering severances; in fact, up to 67% of leaders at large enterprises (>5,000 employees) surveyed by Birkman, suggested they would use job cuts as a cost strategy in 2009. (The full White Paper results can be downloaded here – select “Business Implications of the New Reality.”)
• A “second wave” of impacts will now affect industries outside financial services & automobiles – impacted will be retail, technology, electronics, semiconductor and wireless among others

Jack be Nimble: Executives and line managers alike must think differently about job search

• It’s time to consider opportunities that would once have been off-limits, such as part time or “audition” positions if you are an experienced business person – the market may not support quick re-entry into a full time position 
• It’s an era that Mr. Challenger describes as one of “no fault job loss” which means companies will be quick to cut, so the ability to move across industry lines will be ever more important
• The willingness to cross-over by marketing functional skills and fungible talents will be a key to success in this economy; seek positions in sectors and geographies where hiring is still happening (apparently discount retail and hospitality and consumer goods as areas that may weather better, in addition to core healthcare and education)
• Titles that will be particularly affected by layoffs are professional support and middle management. Those roles of a more senior level; those of a more technical nature or in sales are less likely to be hit, reported Birkman as part of their survey results

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Online): Job loyalty is being replaced by a free agent mentality, so both talent and companies will have to foster “outside the employment door” relationships using technology as an enabler

• For talent, retaining connections to former employers is a key way to renew and revive career opportunities – using either formal or informal alumni or career networks
• For companies, investing in long-term talent relationships is a key driver of longer-term success, as they are forced to swing employment patterns based on larger, uncontrollable macro-trends leading to job cuts and rehires- Challenger specifically recommends building privileged relationships that retain flexible connection using online community and networking formats

Are you an ALUMRISER?

ALUMRISERS - My take-aways and implications:

1. Don’t over-think opportunities – be open to a variety of job contracts including part time or temporary as well as newly engineered positions – ALUMRISE understands that today you are competing with millions of other job-hunters as well as a growing stream of income-seekers returning to the workforce to support displaced family members – so look hard at each and every message of interest. Your profile helps position you for a variety of types of interest – job, project, mentor/coach, board, etc. So get into action/contribute and meanwhile, enjoy the time life has given you back, either in your job hunt or after-hours in a (hopefully) less intense position that allows time for self-reflection.

2. Look hard at your functional skills & understand exactly which your fungible or transferable skills are. ALUMRISE can do this for you – by answering the few simple questions that create your profile you are in essence creating a ‘functional resume’ making it easier for you to found for a transfer between industries or sectors … your experience tells the tale for you to hiring mangers and recruiters within an ALUMRISE profile

3. Understand companies you’d wish to work for, and try to develop access to their existing networks or online networks they create. ALUMRISE is building private platforms for companies to stay connected to former talent that live inside the broader ALUMRISE Universe .. Once a member of ALUMRISE you can request to join relevant networks related to your experience and skills … Stay tuned for more on that.