If You Can't Hire Them

 

Photo by Lagos Techie on Unsplash

There is a lot of talk about not being able to hire right now (see this Capelli article for a rebuttal), but periodically, I help employers talk through the "buy versus develop" question about people. I have always been predisposed to grow my own versus buy new, so I suppose it is best to just get that bias on the table to start with. It's part of the reason I keep a car until it falls apart in the street. I know what I have and as long as it is performing satisfactorily, why take a chance on an expensive shiny new vehicle? Regular maintenance and an occasional part overhaul have tended to be less expensive and more satisfactory for me.

Regardless of your current hiring situation, there is a seismic shift in the skills needed in the economy going on. New career fields are opening up, with the numbers of skilled workers needed growing very quickly. If you have watched the news lately, cybersecurity should be an obvious example. You can hire the technical expertise for cybersecurity from an IT company with that expertise, but much of the risk involves people, not hardware and software. So even having the best company on retainer can't always keep you safe. This means pretty much every employee who has access to a computer or other smart device needs to have some level of expertise in cybersecurity. In addition to cybersecurity, changes in laws and regulations in many industries call for a constant update in compliance, tools, and techniques.

I was talking to someone this week who told me the employers she talks to just want someone who will show up dependably and work. I hear that some as well, but I also find employers also want experience and proven expertise so they don't have to spend much time training. I get it. As in most things, there is always a tradeoff between I need it now, I need it good, and I need it cheap. For some reason, employers tend to think they can get it all. Not so.

I would suggest companies need to do a thorough review to determine the types of skills that employees need now and may not have (gap analysis), but also look ahead to prepare for the future, in order to develop some skills before the need is upon you. You may not be able to hire that skill set--so begin developing your good people with updated skills.