Taking on the Talent Challenge

Due to unemployment being near an all-time low, many companies are facing
talent shortages and have to make a decision: Should we hire unskilled workers and train them, or should we battle for the small pool of skilled workers? Here are some options.

Attract Talent Through Access to Leadership.Talented workers want to join companies that have easily accessible leaders, because they want to learn from these leaders. This generation of skilled workers want the ability to display their skills to someone who can help them advance within the company.

Tap into the Gig Economy. The term “gig” is slang for “a job for a specified time” and was typically used in referring to musicians. Today, the “gig” draw is flexible schedules and work life balance. Besides tapping into a larger pool of talent, you can hire a part-timer when you’re not sure about needing a full-timer. It also lets you try out the employee before committing your organization to a long-term, full-time job.

Increase Training. A learning environment draws in talent and helps reskill current employees. In fact, when employees were asked which attribute increased their loyalty the most, a culture of learning outweighed work-life balance, benefits, and free meals!

Reskill workers in Soft Skills, like communication and team building. This fills the talent gaps because the people skills make them more productive. This technique also solves two extra issues. It increases loyalty in current employees and decreases turnover. Additionally, it solves the talent shortages by allowing the company to bring in promising workers and arming them with necessary job skills.


  • Dear Dr. Mimi – Frustrated

    Dear Dr. Mimi, I trained a new employee about a month ago, but they still don’t seem to be getting it. They mess up almost every task I give them. What can I do to fix this? Should I just fire them? —Frustrated Dear Frustrated, It can be tricky working with new employees. If you…


  • Dear Dr. Mimi – Overwhelmed

    Dear Dr. Mimi, My spouse and I now both work full-time jobs and have a three-year-old. I had been home full-time while my spouse worked. Our son is in day care and seems to love it, but I am unsure how to balance having a family, being an employee, and doing well in both jobs.…


  • Monitoring Productivity

    It may be daunting to look at your schedule for the coming months. Here are a few tips to help you stay on task and monitor your productivity: Clarify the vision. What do you hope to achieve? How will you accomplish this? Get specific! Define the milestones you aim to reach. Sit down and devote…