Where can businesses find qualified workers?

By Marci Murphy

QUESTION: We are having trouble finding the right people to fill our open positions. They don’t seem to have the exact skills we need.  Any suggestions?

Murphy: Due to the low unemployment rate, there are less people looking for employment and that equates to fewer candidates for your business to choose from. My advice is try to be more flexible when it comes to the requirements for the positions. For example, hiring someone that has critical thinking skills, teamwork skills, fits into the culture of your company and is eager to work but doesn’t have the exact experience you are requiring may be the answer to your challenge.

During times of high unemployment, employers have a tendency to make their requirements more strict to narrow down the applicant pool to a manageable number, however many employers do not change their recruitment methods back when unemployment lowers.

Another option is to look for hidden talent – groups like Veterans, mature workers , persons with disabilities, and individuals previously incarcerated have historically high rates of unemployment but have transferable skills and are eager to prove themselves if the opportunity is there for employment.

Marci Murphy is the president of CareerSource Brevard, a regional public/private partnership and part of a statewide network of 24 regions, known as CareerSource Florida. www.careersourcebrevard.com.