Marcelo Somers

HR professionals have a name for the highly sought but elusive job candidate whose skills and experiences precisely match an employer’s needs: the “purple squirrel.”

What’s happened with the aftermath of the Great Recession is that the process of hiring back staff in the “average” organization has been delayed by both software/computer upgrades that allow companies (especially manufacturers) to do more with less people, and, the predisposition by employers to fill “open” positions with upgraded personnel (those that may have broader skills and/or certifications).

All this makes “productivity” (as measured by output per hour worked) go up: 3.5% last year. This is certainly laudible but it is brought about by a slowness to rehire that, in many cases, puts a strain on those left behind after layoffs. Only 49% of people laid off from 2007 to 2009 were re-employed by January 2010.

Companies are complaining that they can’t find qualified people. Well, if those employers have now combined business analyst and systems analyst positions into one job, for example, the pool of people who can qualify for that “opening” substantially reduces. So, those “openings” are now there but info tech companies now want “dual threat” people.

I’m very passionate about this, as I help out with recruiting for my company at my alma mater.

I see this as an opportunity on two fronts:
For current students - branch outside of our degree plan! Get experience in areas outside of what you’re doing. I was talking with Frank Anderson the other day about some finance openings at my company, and he said everything requires SQL & Database knowledge these days, even for an entry-level financial analyst. It’s unbelievable!

This also makes the internship during college THAT MUCH more important! My experience is that this is the only time that employers are willing to somewhat bend on requirements, since they know that you are training an intern as much as you are bringing them on to be productive.

Also - NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK!! Networking is not just about who you know, but who THEY know. Don’t network when you need something from people, because any person half worth knowing can see through the facade. Chris Brogan says that for every 1 “ask” you do of someone, you should have 12 “gives” - times that you give to that person without any expectation of something in return.

For employers - the opportunity here is that you can bring in people with diversified backgrounds that could potentially bring a new way of approaching problems. Sure, you’d have to spend some time retraining your employees, but there’s so much value! At Citi a long time ago (pre-Citibank days), they would bring in people with just completely different experience, and throw them into the fire to see how they come out. You want people that are willing to bend and learn, not someone so rigid they can’t see outside of that exact job description.

I also don’t buy the facade of “X years of experience.” Part of the reason why I have a job today is because I was someone’s “pet project” to prove that in a company where we only hire principle-level employees with “8 years of extensive experience”, an undergrad finance kid could come into marketing and be successful.

More experience also means you have a stuck way of doing things, and sometimes having a fresh look can help you.