We have all come across that hard-to-fill job that just seems to hang around for months on end. You have posted and re-posted, sifted through countless resumes, and conducted what seems like just as many phone screenings. And yet, the search continues. At some point, you should probably ask yourself, “Why is this job so hard to fill?”
Are the expectations realistic?
In such a competitive job market, there are dozens or hundreds of applicants for any given job. Its not that people don’t know you are hiring. But why can’t you find that one person that fits the job description? Perhaps that one person doesn’t exist, and you should be looking for two (or more) people to fill that role. Look back at your job description. If you are running down an endless list of requirements, or find yourself having to turn the page several times to continue reading this list, then you might have found your problem.
Don’t get hung up on cost
This is a tricky one. You obviously have a budget ( in which you may or may not have a say). Often, however, money is an easy answer when it comes to finding talent. In times where everyone is looking to minimize their overhead, it is easy to let this be the driving factor in hiring decisions. I’m not suggesting that cost should be overlooked, however, if you look at the matter from a different angle (say, return-on-investment?), then you might find that that job will be filled a little sooner than expected.
Consider an agency
So you are still looking. Perhaps you just don’t have the resources or the network to find the right person. Professional staffing agencies are great resources if you are still having difficulty with that hard-to-fill job. Since staffing firms typically have a pool of professional contractors to deploy, you should find that filling that role will happen a lot sooner than otherwise.
Develop your current talent pool
This probably won’t help you figure out this hard-to-fill job, but it will help you avoid your next. Introduce and emphasize training within your organization. Succession planning and cross-training are great strategies to ensure your organization has a pool of people who can be re-deployed within the organization. This could certainly help boost morale across the organization by investing in your own talent, and allow your star performers the chance to grow along with you.
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Carmine Palazzo is a Technical Recruiter with Procom Consultants Group, a leading IT Staffing Services provider. If you are looking to take the next step in your career, contact Carmine at carminep@procom.ca or follow him on twitter @CarminePalazzo