Looking to Hire “Good People”? You May Want to Re-Think Your Expectations

One of the most common phrases our consultants now hear is “I can’t find anyone to hire!” This is a shocking thing to consider in light of coming through a life altering pandemic. However, based on an employer’s typical expectations, there are only about 2.5 people out there who fit what you are looking for! Watching employers try to recruit talent is like watching colleges recruit athletes – everyone wants “the best,” but there are only so many “bests” to go around. Most employers are looking for someone who is between 25-40 with perfect physical, mental, and emotional health. But if you are responsible for recruiting new staff to your organization, consider the following statistics.

• There are about 209 million adults living in the U.S. with 174 million between the ages of 18-64. In other words, this is the number of potential working adults in the U.S. (Infoplease.com)

• It is estimated that 150 million are already employed, some full-time and others part-time. (Statista.com)

• 1 in 8, or about 26 million, are considered alcoholics. (JAMA Psychology, 2017)

• 23 million have struggled with drug use. (NIH, 2015)

• 46.6 million experience a severe mental illness in a given year. (NAMI.org)

• As of 2014, 77.7 million people are on file in the criminal data base. (Wall Street Journal, 2014).

• As of 2015, 40 million have a disability that causes difficulty with hearing, vision, cognition, walking, or self-care. (PEW Research Center, 2017)

• 32 million cannot read. (U.S. Department of Education)

And this does not include the number of people who are not yet ready to go back into the job market for reasons related to the pandemic or the people who are looking for jobs or salaries that may not exist or be realistic.

You do not need a Ph.D. in math or statistics to see that if your expectations are not recalibrated, you are going to be searching for a very long time and will likely be disappointed. While everyone wants to hire the best and the brightest who are without any quirks or baggage, those individuals are a small part of the population. Regardless of if you embrace the Bible as a source of human resource guidance, what God says about people is true – we are all pretty much walking wounded, experiencing and reflecting the fallenness that has affected everyone and everything. So, when you are about to do a search to make a hire, remember the following:

1. Be realistic.

The majority of people you will interview have their own gifts and deficits, just like you and me. So be realistic. Don’t eliminate your expectations. Just adjust them.

2. Be responsible.

Even if someone is less than perfect or struggles with some difficulties in their lives, you can and should give them fair consideration or you may be searching for a very long time.

3. Be supportive.

We all can do a better job at making our organizations more flexible, gracious, and adaptable to the challenges and baggage people bring to work.

4. Be creative.

When candidates are in limited supply, leaders have an opportunity to think differently regarding how to meet the needs. Ask questions such as:

• “Are we prematurely ruling out candidates due to our own biases?”

• “Is there an opportunity to do our work differently that would result in less need for the position?”

• “Are there short-term approaches such as having someone try the position temporarily while considering other options?”

Questions like these can open the door to both new solutions and creative employees.

Contact us to learn how our experienced coaches and consultants can assist you in the hiring process!

Jay Desko is the CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.