A great article on the ensuing talent war was written for the employer by Neil Lebovits, President and Coo of Ajilon Finance, and can be found in full at
http://www.ajilonfinance.com/articles/Talent%20War-ext%205-26-05.pdf
While the article is written from the employer’s perspective, there is a wealth of information that can help you plan our long-term career management strategy. If you thought personal branding was not important before, hopefully reading further will clarify the critical tool it is in creating market differentiation for you.
Some of these comments are taken directly from the article, with my comments from the candidate’s perspective included. All of it, though, is valuable information.
–Those companies who have a long-term talent acquisition and retention strategy will be competing for the A-players. As the talent war heats up, the market may force companies to offer substantially higher compensation to new employees.
–Competition for the best and brightest will be fierce among the best companies. They will be on the hunt for knowledge leaders, those candidates who are intelligent, educated, comfortable with technology, global, and well-versed in profitable business operations.
–Service industry with specialized training and skills will be in hot demand. The regulations concerning Sarbanes-Oxley are a prime example … auditors and accountants with that expertise are in short supply and high demand in the financial arena.
—People have become the prime source of competitive advantage in virtually every profession and customers are selecting who they do business with based on their faith in that company’s people to get the job done for them.
—Employers will be forced to recognize the added value of their tenured employees and will work hard to retain them. Customers and clients will demand this as well to ensure consistency in servicing their businesses, and companies that don’t acknowledge this may lose significant market share.
–The talent war will include a more in-depth selection process to ensure fit with a company’s culture and that potential hires can meet and successfully beat the challenges a job presents.