One of the greatest challenges for employers the world over is locating, hiring, and retaining employees who bring highly productive value to their companies and organizations. Such employees are, of course, the lifeblood of any successful workforce. The employer who establishes the means of recruiting and properly managing the right talent represents quality leadership within a winning enterprise. 

For the most part, there is a broad and deep talent pool to fill many job positions. If anything, the Recession has added available workforce capacity eager to be found and employed. The industry areas that seem most deficient in expertise are engineering and intermediate to advanced levels of IT. Even in recent years, these have been under resourced areas. This lack of strength probably will not improve until we do a better job of attracting and educating more young people to STEM careers or Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. However, outside of STEM careers vast talent shortages do not appear to be the case. Nevertheless, matching skills with where they are needed continues to be a perennial and daunting challenge. 

The best recruiters know where to go to find the most competent. They are well-connected, expertly networked, and a constant presence at tried-and-true feeder sources, such as schools and certain businesses. Getting and paying for high caliber recruiting and staffing services is certainly an option for companies seeking candidates for open positions. But the question emerges, can employers do more for themselves internally and procedurally to keep the flow of talent inbound and the loss of talent minimized? 

Yes, employers can do more. Now, rather than present the readers with a bulleted list of techniques, I would like to focus an answer to the above question toward a more fundamental management and human virtue…kindness. Anecdotally, I hear it all the time from smart, experienced, hard-working, people — the single biggest reason why people do not like their jobs is because of poor management. I am not talking about managerial weaknesses that can be simply remedied with some training. This issue is much larger. It involves management’s use of intimidation, fear, inflexibility, weak ability to communication, and overall poor soft or people skills. 

Nothing will drive talent away more effectively than by having in place leadership that either practices, encourages, or allows for an abusive work environment. In fact, there is a Healthy Workplace Bill, which has been introduced into twenty state legislatures since 2003. In New Hampshire, this bill known as HB 1403 was introduced and let die in committee in 2010. 

In this day of interactive social media does anyone really think that word is not getting out loud and clear about where employees should not work if they want respect from their boss? Talent will be drawn to companies and organizations where smart and self-motivated employees can develop as professionals. Places with vision that encourage exploration and innovation, where decision-making results from a collaborative process. But at their core, those companies that establish as a cultural foundation respect and kindness will find talent wanting to stay. Consequently, by noticing the strengths and benefits each person can bring to the job and actively cultivating them yields positive results for any business.  

Effective leadership can bring about the kind of work climate which attracts and retains talent. Unfortunately, talented leaders are hard to find. Peter Drucker, the godfather of modern management theory, said that the two most important attributes of leadership are self-awareness and honesty. Practicing those virtues in combination with a basic decency for fellow colleagues would seem to be a good place to start.  

The best and brightest employees are not interested in heavy-handed rules, imposed methodologies, and stay-in-line-or-else tactics. Developing a talented workforce begins with collegial trust and a humane attitude. 

Most of us didn’t see it coming. And now that it is here, many are struggling with how to cope. I am not talking about The Great Recession as a whole, but about one egregious consequence of it — the dislocation of the 50+ workers. 

Anecdotal reports started accumulating during the Recession’s early days and have yet to abate. Baby Boomer employees in large numbers have been facing layoffs, many for the first time in their lives. However, in trying to get hired elsewhere these experienced workers have been finding that a new cruel reality has set in. Their skills, history, long-term perspective, and deep knowledge are no longer wanted. They are being prematurely put out to pasture. 

To me, an admitted Boomer, this phenomenon at first seemed counter-intuitive. Extensive practice of one’s craft should be seen as desirable. The mistakes of the past will not be repeated if you have employees who know history and have lived it. Or so I naively thought. Yet contemporary hiring managers, who naturally are becoming younger all the time, apparently do not see it that way. They see, or think they see, liabilities among this older cohort. Among the accepted downsides: 

• Inflexible thinking 
• Lack of tolerance for the values of younger workers 
• Legacy practices that are counter-innovative 
• Higher costs associated with salary expectations and health care benefits 

The resulting generational mismatch has led to age bias and defacto discrimination, which makes it very hard for Boomers to land new jobs. 

In working as a career counselor with many 50+ workers, I have noticed another conclusion of this age group. Of those fortunate enough to have remained employed in recent years there are many who are now sick of their jobs, but not tired of working. And why have they grown so dissatisfied with their jobs? In almost every case it comes down to two words — poor management. 

When someone has been working thirty or more years there can be plenty of been-there-done-that moments and among the worst of them is putting up yet again with substandard or even dysfunctional leadership. Altogether, there is a lot of anxiety about remaining productively employed during the final years of many careers. 

Unfortunately, switching jobs for the currently employed 50+ worker is not much easier than for their unemployed brethren. The same discriminatory hiring practices can likely face anyone born before 1960. I wish I had easy answers for remedying the employment problems of mature employees, but I do not. I do, however, have a few mitigating suggestions for those wondering what to do next: 

• Consult with a financial advisor. Have a clear picture of how solvent you are going forward. The chances of pulling down high salaries for the foreseeable future are greatly diminished for the time being. 
• Consider an entrepreneurial venture. Although far from a quick fix, now may be the time to leverage your skills and knowledge into a micro or small business that can positively engage your energies and eventually lead to some income. 
• Craft a marketable value proposition. Contrary to popular belief, the mature worker does have some assets. If your qualities can be powerfully presented as a direct match for the needs of an employer, then you just might be able to minimize or overcome the alleged weaknesses your age suggests.   
• Embrace the small-is-beautiful ethic. Pulling back on expenses and fifty-hour work weeks does have some advantages. Maintaining a high-consumption lifestyle can be like feeding a beast. Rediscovering simple and less demanding living may benefit your spirit in addition to your monetary situation. 

The biggest challenge of all for the older worker who feels diminished and devalued may be in reframing their predicament into something opportunistic. Although you did not intend or predict that the ground beneath your feet would shift so dramatically, nevertheless look hard for the silver lining. As the saying goes, never let a crisis go to waste. 

John Lennon perhaps said it best: “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” And for many, that about sums up how career directions come to be. Life requires making plans, both large and small, and among the big ones is how one is to make a livelihood. 

It is surprising, given the enormity of such a life decision and given the fact nearly everyone needs to make it, that a clear and customary process to career decision making is not commonly accepted. Most often it seems that people just fall into careers, which sometimes work out splendidly, but can often lead to years of wasted potential. 

So, how do we end up doing the work that we do? Since as a society we cannot seem to agree on a single career-choice process, how are we to impart useful information to others, both young and old, who need assistance? 

I have been tracking for some months now threaded discussions on the topic of career choice that have run on some of my career counselor groups in LinkedIn. I have identified some recurring themes that may be of interest to those of you who are also intrigued by the forces that are at play in career determination. Here is what I see at present: 

Childhood – Clues for future career direction are often detectable in childhood. There can be obvious signs like the little girl mixing and matching her mother’s clothes while playing dress-up, who goes on to become a fashion designer, or the little boy consistently organizing his playmates into undertakings of one sort or another, who in later years works for the YMCA as an activity director. Although the innate interests in children may not be readily predictable as career catalysts, chances are quite good that future competencies are beginning to be played out in the activity choices occurring in kids’ lives. 

Influencers – Career guidance often originates with individuals who hold significant value in one’s life. Family members and good friends, among other high-quality role models, provide direction and powerful suggestions about career goals. Sometimes this is intentional, but often it is not. The feedback and observations given to us in the natural course of having relationships from people we honor and respect can carry a huge amount of weight. 

School – the subjects you liked in school, the encouragement you were given by teachers, and the observations you made about what defined success among your peers in an education and social setting can all play a part in how you structure your world view. As you assess the functional parts of the world, you begin to see how you might fit within it. In my judgment, schools, in general, do not emphasize career development strongly enough. The good news, however, is that by their very nature, schools provide an environment where careers can be made despite their other priorities. 

Practicality – It has been said that when young, we use our heads to choose work, but that when we are older, we are driven more by our emotions in choosing jobs. Using your head means that you are looking at a career pragmatically, i.e., as a means toward an end. And that end typically involves considerations such as rate of pay, working conditions, commuting distance, benefits, childcare availability, and whether you can take the dog to work. These concerns are important, but they begin to pale somewhat as we mature and start realizing that concepts like career/life fit, advancement, professionalism, and retirement planning are as or more important. 

Happenstance / Opportunity / Luck – One of the most powerful drivers of how our careers develop, if not our entire lives, has nothing to do with planning. It can be just dumb luck. Being in the right place at the right time, being born when you were, or living where you do can position you to take advantage of a confluence of events that makes great things possible. Knowing that luck can always be just around the corner makes successful people ever mindful and open to positive circumstances. 

Even though there is an entire profession dedicated to career decision making, not many people take advantage of it. Doing so would certainly help greater numbers of people land more meaningful and fulfilling careers sooner. Nevertheless, it is worth knowing how career selection occurs for many of us, because these ways can also hold value. 

The term “professional brand” is thrown around frequently these days when it comes to job searching, career advancement, and business opportunities. As is the case whenever a term begins to become trite, we want to be careful that the original impact of its meaning does not become lost or mushy with overuse or misuse. Ever since 1999, when Tom Peters launched the use of brand to encapsulate the worker migration from corporate cog to independent provider of value, one’s professional brand has built substantial importance and cache.  

Part of the workplace adjustment brought on by the Great Recession has been the intense need for workers to distinguish themselves in the face of heavy competition for fewer jobs. It is a buyer’s market for employers and to get noticed in the sea of applicants requires job searchers to communicate their worth and focus more than ever. The good news is that managing one’s online presence with social media and other means allows professionals to disseminate their brands very efficiently. The challenge for many, of course, is knowing what kind of brand message to project. 

It all starts with identifying your value proposition. Being able to summarize your skills, competencies, and in general, what makes you an asset. Your unique value proposition serves as the basis for your brand and for how you express yourself using all the communication means at your disposal. Try containing this message in a short paragraph of no more than five sentences. This will discipline you to articulate your worth economically and pointedly. 

Another concept that helps you to button down your brand is to consider your personal mix of talents, experiences, aptitudes, values, and proficiencies that make you who you are. Separate yourself from the herd by letting stakeholders know the one-of-a-kind package of qualities that you are made of and can offer.    

Once you have determined your professional brand you are then ready to market it. Be specific in presenting what you are good at. How are you better than your competition? What kind of mid-level manager, or salesperson, or engineer are you? Can you point to achievements that speak to your effectiveness? Getting the word out to your industry about your expertise through various web-based and face-to-face networking methods increases your chances of coming out on top. 

Be ready to direct and manage your carefully crafted message, especially online. Make sure that there is not conflicting information about you that could confuse or, worse yet, turn off those searching for you. You have worked hard to make something of yourself and there is still more growing to do. You take pride in all that you have accomplished to date, so do not hesitate to shout it out loud. Your future ambitions will benefit from the effort. 

It is quickly becoming conventional wisdom for professionals to realize the importance of establishing and maintaining a robust and communicative online profile. As has become the case with searching for knowledge of all manners and types, most individuals go first to the Internet — and of those who do, approximately 85% go to Google to get the information they need. 

It is no different for recruiters, hiring managers, potential employers or contractors, and other stakeholders who need to carefully examine the history, qualifications, and relevant attributes of alleged talent with whom there is potential to forge a professional relationship. 

Whether we want it to or not, our cyber presence is being developed. Even those who deliberately shy away from social media networking may still have a bio posted on their company’s web site or one could be listed on an association’s site as having given a talk at a conference. Maybe you or your company have been reviewed on one of many consumer review sites, or someone’s cell phone camera snapped you at a social event which is now on YouTube. To think your name and reputation can or should remain hidden from the web today is naïve and potentially harmful to your career. 

Getting out in front of how your character is to be perceived by the world will give you the advantage of crafting and determining the message and image that accurately and powerfully presents you to those who may offer opportunities, which could result in career enhancement. Although you may not be able to control all the content about you that gets caught in the web, there are some steps that can be taken that will anchor your message of core professionalism that can optimize ahead of any weak or worse material that may be out there about you. The target outcome is simple — to have an online profile that displays your value and talent. 

The place to start, however, is with a document that may never make it to the Internet and that is your resume. If this is well written, it will be economically and succinctly capturing your value proposition with supporting competencies, achievements, skills both hard and soft, education and training, and any other information highlighting your qualifications. With this foundation in place the professional is ready to communicate a self-appraisal with a variety of online means. Here are four recommended ways to accomplish this: 

1. LinkedIn – With 85+ million users and growing this is the strongest place to establish your presence. The profile components are designed to give you a well-rounded professional look and it is easily updateable. You control the message entirely and it should mirror the value as described in your resume. There is the added advantage of linking to a wide network of colleagues, associates, and groups that increase your exposure and intellectual capital.
2. Twitter – This microblogging service is a great way to build your reputation through sharing relatively frequent commentary on industry insights and promotion of web-based content. It is simple to use and once you learn about the # and @ communities you can target your messages to people who care about what you have to offer.
3. Your Own Web Site – Controlling your image in a positive and creative way can be done by having your own site designed by yourself or by one of the gazillion boutique webmasters that are around. Here you can write a profile; add pictures; link to other relevant sites or blogs; post a video of yourself talking about what you do, which can be recorded using your webcam or by a friend with a digital camera; include an audio podcast and post your own blog.
4. Blogging – A wonderful self-promotion technique is to share your professional expertise. Doing so projects knowledge, experience, confidence, and legitimacy. Including your blog as part of your web site by using a sophisticated blogging tool such as WordPress eases the process. Blogging takes commitment, though. Keep posts often and current to get the most impact.

Taking these four steps will position you well for managing your online profile. Remember that your value proposition is the theme that ties all these tactics together. Be consistent in communicating what great things you offer and be prepared for the career benefits this effort will yield. 

Recognizing the new year is a great tradition. Having that one time each year to reflect, take stock, and plan for the future is a valuable practice for progressing our growth and development. Well, it is that time of year again to look back over what has transpired, but more importantly to gaze ahead at the year to come with anticipation and a plan. 

When it comes to making our lives meaningful and satisfying over the next twelve months, our thoughts should turn to making some impactful decisions regarding the direction of our careers. 

If you are considering, as I recommend you do, determining some new year resolutions for your career, then here is my list of the six most helpful practices for refining your livelihood. A word about the current economic context before I begin — the cruel grip of the Great Recession is starting to ease. The fear that has slowed employment mobility for the past two years is lessening. Although the latest 2011 consensus of economists in a recent New York Times article was bullish regarding business growth for the upcoming year, there will remain a stubbornly high national unemployment rate. 

However, in New Hampshire, where we now show an unemployment rate that is little more than half of the national rate, there is cause for more optimism. Hiring will likely be more robust here than in many parts of the country. Not great but improving. And given the reported amount of pent-up desire among currently employed workers to shift to new employers as soon as possible, this will be a year when we should see a pick-up in hiring. Given this scenario, here is how you can prepare: 

Know What’s Going On: Be knowledgeable about your industry or chosen line of work. Research, read, and listen. Be on top of trends, practices, and opportunities that matter for industry growth and for your own bottom line. 

Step Up Networking: Make sure to invigorate professional connections by maintaining genuine communication with those you respect. Offer to help and share. Show more interest in them than you expect to receive. 

Assess Your Career Track: Ask yourself, are you really doing what you want to for work? Is it time to consider a course shift? There is no better time than now to make these critical decisions and to plan for change. 

Got Social Media?: One way to advance all three of the above is to engage with social media, in particular LinkedIn. Gathering information, networking, and processing the quality of your career can all be helped along with social media. 

Building Your Online Profile: A huge advantage of participating in social media at a professional level is that it positions you for establishing and maintaining a strong online profile. Controlling your presentation, to the extent you can, is becoming increasingly important. 

Resume Rewrite: It is a rare person that does not need to revisit their resume at least once per year. It is equally as rare to find a resume that does not need at least a little improvement. Whether you need to tweak, upgrade, or completely revamp this important document, the present is a time to get started. 

Sure, there is more that could be done to improve and advance your career. Careers are like properties — there is always something else that can be worked on. But, if you are looking to break inertia and get the most from your career in 2011, then taking on one or more of these suggestions may be just the thing to help make the new year one of significant and sustained growth.