We have seen the emergence of the Human Age, where talent is the new differentiator. Yet organizations around the world struggle to find the talent they need. This is especially problematic, because 75 million Baby Boomers will retire within the next 10 to 15 years. Between now and then, there will be a lot of jobs to fill, and if finding great talent is difficult now, organizations are going to have to up their recruiting game, or suffer the consequences of being understaffed.

1. How Do You Attract the Best
Talent? Five Companies Exemplify
Recruiting Innovation
Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging
“We have seen the emergence of the Human Age,
where talent is the new differentiator,” writes Jonas
Prising, CEO of ManpowerGroup. Yet organizations
around the world struggle to find the talent they
need. This is especially problematic, because 75
million Baby Boomers will retire within the next 10
to 15 years. Between now and then, there will be a
lot of jobs to fill, and if finding great talent is
difficult now, organizations are going to have to up
their recruiting game, or suffer the
consequences of being understaffed.
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2. Manpower Group surveyed more than 41,700 hiring
managers in 42 countries in order to get a clear
view of how many employers are having difficulty
filling positions. They also assessed which jobs are
the most difficult to fill and why. We’re going to
look at the findings in their corresponding
report, 10th Annual Talent Shortage Survey, and
then take talk about five companies who are facing
the talent shortage in inspiring and innovative
ways.
The Facts About the Talent Shortage
How challenging is it to fill jobs?
In 2015, 38% of employers were having difficulty
filling jobs, which is the highest number since 2007.
That number is a global average, with 32% of
employers reporting difficulty in the United States.
In 2015, 38% of employers were having difficulty
filling jobs, which is the highest number since 2007.
That number is a global average, with 32% of
employers reporting difficulty in the United States.
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3. Why is it difficult to fill jobs?
35% of employers surveyed in the 2015 Talent
Shortage Survey reported that the top reason they
have difficulty filling jobs is a lack of available
applicants. 34% of respondents said they can’t fill
positions because their talent pool has a lack of
technical skills ﴾hard skills﴿. The other three of the
top five reasons it’s difficult to fill positions is due
to lack of experience ﴾22%﴿, lack of workplace
competencies, or soft skills ﴾17%﴿, and encountering
candidates looking for more compensation than is
offered.
What jobs are the most difficult to fill?
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4. For four years straight, skilled trade jobs are the
most difficult to fill, especially chefs, bakers,
butchers, mechanics, and electricians. Sales
representatives, engineers, technicians, and drivers
make up the remaining of the top five most
difficult jobs to fill. Now we can see why a lack of
technical skills contributes heavily to the lack of
candidates—those skills are needed in four of the
top five most difficult jobs to fill.
However, there may be light at the end of the
tunnel. In October of 2015, Bloomberg reported a
decline of college degrees and falling enrollment
for the third year in a row. This may indicate
resurgence in trade‐school enrollment, creating a
new generation of workers who have the hard skills
companies need globally.
But until those numbers are official, what are
employers doing about this talent gap?
Unfortunately, not enough.
Employers are not doing enough to address talent
shortages.

5. Despite their admitted challenges in filling
positions, more than one in five employers are not
pursuing any strategies to address their talent
shortages. In fact, only one in ten is
adopting recruitment strategies to access untapped
talent pools.
When faced with talent shortages, hiring managers
have the opportunity to be creative. With a little
out‐of‐the‐box thinking, they may be able to
attract the candidates they want. Here are five
excellent examples of companies using innovative
hiring practices.
How Do You Attract the Best Talent? Five
Companies Exemplify Recruiting
Innovation
1. Go Big
FormaShape, a Canadian manufacturing company,
placed a single billboard outside their plant that
read, “Trespassers Will Be Hired!” They received
100’s of applications and great publicity.
2. Host an Open House

6. I Love Rewards Inc. ﴾now Achievers﴿, a global
employee rewards and social recognition company
based in San Francisco, decided to turn to self‐
selection as a strategy and hosted an open house.
Rather than going through 1200 resumes, I Love
Rewards invited all applicants to an open house.
Candidates were narrowed down automatically, as
those who were less serious about the job chose
not to attend the event.
At the open house there were two distinct areas on
two floors of the building. One was for mingling
with current employees, and the other was set up
as speed dating for quick five‐minute interviews.
This method helped see a potential candidate’s
level of interest, communication skills and working
knowledge.
3. Hit the Pavement
Quicken Loans, a home loans expert based in
Detroit, MI, turned to their current employees to
attract talent. They sent out current employees to
local retail stores and restaurants to interact with

7. local retail stores and restaurants to interact with
workers and offer interviews to those who stood
out. This was a big help in looking for candidates in
unexpected places! Current employees often have
the best understanding of the soft and hard skills
needed to succeed at their company. This is also a
great tactic when searching for a cultural fit.
4. Design an Activity
H‐E‐B Central Market, one of the largest
independent food retailers in the nation, started in
Austin, TX. Their innovative recruiting approach
involved inviting candidates to a three‐hour activity
﴾which in itself is a screening activity﴿. First,
applicants sampled store products. This showed H‐
E‐B the candidate’s willingness to try new things,
and their general love of food, both representing
the values of H‐E‐B.
Next, applicants created their own application with
art supplies, a testament to their creative thinking,
and a look at what they feel is important for their
potential employers to know about them. The last
activity involved role‐playing activities to create
product displays in teams. This final activity shows
who is creative, who is a leader, who works well in
teams, and who is or is not assertive. After this
process, candidates are invited in for one‐on‐one
interviews.
5. Send Surprises

8. Red 5 Studios, an online games developer
headquartered in Cork, Ireland and Irvine, CA, did a
bit of handpicking to find their talent. They
searched for passive candidates ﴾candidates not
currently looking for a job﴿ via social media
research. They picked the top 100 they were
interested in and reached out to them in a very
creative way. Each candidate was sent a
personalized iPod, with a loaded audio message
from the CEO inviting them to consider working for
the company. More than 90 candidates responded
to the pitch.
Feeling inspired yet? As you can see, there are
many ways to get the talent you need. Be willing to
experiment. If you are in a leadership role, let
hiring managers know they can be creative when
recruiting and support their efforts. If you’re having
difficulty attracting talent now, start experimenting
as soon as possible. That way you can get the ideas
worked out before the real talent shortage sets in,
after Baby Boomers bid their last farewell.
Have you ever recruited or been recruited in a
unique way? I’d love to hear about it.
Leave a comment below, send us an email, or find

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