Great article in Saturday's Wall Street Journal

One of the things that astounds me is that on one hand, global companies (in particular), and many mid- to large companies are already facing management shortages, and a general lack of skilled workers, while on the other hand, there are literally thousands upon thousands of qualified 50 plussers who cannot find a job. The challenge is in getting the two hands to cross over the great divide and shake -- connecting the hungry 50 plus worker with the strapped employer.

In Saturday's Wall Street Journal, writers Douglas Ready and Jay Conger, post a terrific article, entitled "How to Fill the Talent Gap", positioned for the employer. It struck a chord with me, particularly because I was communicating the other day with someone I'd not chatted with in awhile. His story had stayed with me because he was a bright, energetic, engaging person, who had reinvented himself in an entirely different career, as an alternative to unemployment. In our recent chat, he was very pleased that he had discovered how to take the best of himself and convert himself into the very person the company was looking to hire.

It is no longer sufficient to be great at what you do or what you've done. What is important is what you bring to the table.

So, reading this article, the one thing that struck me the most, was that the writers are encouraging (warning?) employers, especially the larger global organizations that are already in a hiring crunch, to bridge the gap between their needs and the available talent through their recruiter training, combined with jobs that make attractive sense to a talent pool.

When I read an article like this, I don't read it looking at the employers' perspective. I look at it from the jobseekers' perspective...what do I learn that I can use to shape myself into an attractive candidate? The writers explore 5 problem areas, ranging from Emerging Markets to Narrow Thinking, and give their perspective on the solutions -- which really boil down to matching your hiring decisions to your business goals. Again, if you can get into the head of an employer and see what they need you to bring to their table, then you'll find this an excellent article and worth the read.