July 16, 2012

Communications to the Rescue

Posted on the My Three Cents blog on July 12th by Ken Makovsky

Did you ever consider that our stubborn 8.2% unemployment rate might be partially related to communications problems rather than lack of jobs?

According to Makovsky client Beyond.com, which conducted a survey among 1700 job seekers and human resources directors, poor communications — including incomplete or confusing job descriptions — often prevent human resource officials from identifying viable candidates, and therefore loads of jobs go unfilled. Beyond.com is the premier career network focused on helping people grow and succeed professionally.

Says Beyond.com CEO Rich Milgram in a July 5 article in USA Today, "Job descriptions are often too vague or too specific; and HR staffers may rule out qualified candidates because they don't understand what hiring managers want.”

Milgram also reports that "recruiters miss nuances, seeking, for example, an accountant who is proficient at bookkeeping instead of deeper analysis." Or, people do overly specific keyword searches that screen out strong candidates who may use different terminology. On the other side, there are job seekers who may not be adept at highlighting their skills or using the same words that companies are using. Layoffs in HR have further complicated the issue, because those left are overworked and have less time to get all the intricate details right.

When so many are overly tired of hearing about the slow recovery, it is heartening to know that something as fundamental as communications, if handled properly, could potentially have a major impact in speeding up the economic turnaround. It is, therefore, urgent that communications professionals offer training programs to those creating and interpreting job descriptions.