Job hiring and hunting challenge: Does the labor market lacks opportunity or the candidates lack competency?

Opportunity or competency? Which is to blame when you can not hire the right people as an employer or can not find the right job as a job hunter?

Last July, we started recruiting for four additional staff that we need for the upcoming client that we will support. We were asked to start our support in the middle of October but thanks to no thanks. After almost four months, we only have one additional staff on board. For about two weeks now, I have been and still is on a hot seat trying to contain the frustration of our new client.

We hired a consultant to be our internal recruiter with the expectation that their company has existing database of applicants to exploit. We have another external consultant looking for candidates. Our HR has their own job ads running. We asked our existing employees for referral. What else could have we done?

With all due fairness to all those above who were mobilized to look for candidates, they were able to submit profiles of candidates for screening. There were actually so many that I stopped counting how many I have screened on paper alone. But why on Earth don't we still have the complete workforce?

^Source

I do not remember which grade level I was when they taught in school that we are in a third world country, that there are many who are either unemployed or underemployed because of lack of opportunities. They were saying that we are over populated and the ratio between opportunities and our population is very unbalanced. We have far more population than opportunities that is why many of our people are seeking opportunities in other countries. I heard the same sentiment in high school and I never really bothered about it until I became part of the workforce market.

When I was starting my corporate career, it was really a challenge before I landed on my first job. I thought maybe because I do not yet have the experience to brag on my CV. However, it was still a challenge when I wanted to move on and find another job. In spite of that, I never thought that we lack opportunities. I was just thinking that the universe has not yet connived in my favor.

In spite of the challenges, I was blessed with the opportunities to work in different central business districts in Metro Manila - Alabang, Makati, Ortigas amd Eastwood. In all these business districts, I have seen many of freelance recruiters who would do their best to intercept any prospective applicant whether they fit the required profile or not. A few times they tried to stop me and ask me to just submit an application even if I do not intend to apply. Once, I frowned at the guy. He explained that any referral will give him incentives regardless if the applicant is hired or not. I frowned all the more. He then sounded desperate and almost begged that I apply. I could have done so if I was not rushing to work but I had to move on. I can't help thinking how hard it was to hire people. On the other hand, that was a very good sign that we have opportunities. Not the lack thereof that many claim.

These freelance recruiters are just few of those who are scattered in central business districts to even "fight" with each other as to who first approached a prospective applicant walking by. They stand by busy streets and specifically target people who are either holding bond paper size of brown envelopes or those who are walking without purpose. These prospects are most probably looking for a job because the common notion for the envelope is that it contains CV. The impression for those who walk without purpose is that they do not have a job to rush about.

With my more than a decade of experience in the corporate world, I was given the opportunity to be on the other side of the interview table. I thought it will be easy because again, the general notion is that we have much larger pool of job hunters than employers. However, I was wrong. In spite of so many candidates, it was and still is very hard to find the right one.

Few months ago, I came across this group during an afternoon walk in Alabang. They were noisy walking as if not minding the world. When they were right in front of me, one of them noticed that I was just standing there waiting for them to take action because they were blocking the way. As I listened to their conversation, two of them were freelance recruiters while the others were friends going to their prospective employer. The recruiters were trying to stop the applicants to their destination and apply to them instead for call center job. I wanted to ask the recruiters how hard it is to find applicants. They gave way so I kept quiet and moved on but kept thinking, how desperate can recruiters be because I am also going through the same challenge to hire and complete my additional IT team?

So what is the problem? Why is it that in spite of so many candidates that were endorsed to us, we still do not have the right people? I was frustrated and I still am. I was asking the air, how come there is none who may not fit the shoes but at least close to the fitting? I am sure all of those candidates whom we screened out were also frustrated. They may be asking the air, how come there are not much opportunities that I can not win the competition because there are so many of us?

As an interviewer, the challenge that I see is the competency of the candidates. I interview IT people but I do not really look for technical skills. I screen for attitude and interpersonal skills. For some reasons, many fail this part. Following are few of the criteria that I have in my head as checklist.

1. Communication skills. The candidate must be able to walk me through a scenario and give me the good picture. What I test for this part is for them to walk me through their previous jobs. If I do not get a good overview of their day-to-day task, how am I supposed to validate their claim about their work experience?

2. Organization of thoughts. Candidates who appear for interview but obviously are just making up their answers on the spot will obviously not fly. How could you forget what you were doing in your job just about six months ago?

3. Honesty. Just this morning, a candidate boasted to me about knowing ITSM so I played stupid and asked what it is. She said it is event, problem and risk. i asked what are the differences of those three and she said they are the same. I concluded the interview. For people out there who are looking for a job, do not play better than your interviewer if you do not know what you are talking about.

I don't think I am expecting too much. Am I? I was told that it is given for technical people to be a little low on the soft skills so I should reconsider. However, I did this before and I was the one who suffered. Who manages those whom I have hired anyway? The manager gets the headaches.

After experiencing both sides of the interview table, I came to understand that what they claimed to be lack of opportunities in our country is NOT true! Demographics are there to back this up. Regardless of the ratio of our population to the number of available jobs, for as long as https://www.jobstreet.com.ph/ does not shut down, for as long as there are job ads on newspapers, for as long as there are these people mobbing passersby and asking them if they are looking for a job and for as long as there are all these other job sites like Indeed.com, Kalibrr.com, monster.com.ph and many more job sites out there that advertises career opportunities in the Philippines, no one can convince me that we lack opportunities in our country.

^Source

To close the gap, I think both employers and job hunters should do their part. Employers should have development program to hone candidates that may lack a few of the skills that are being sought. Trying to get the exact match of all items on the checklist may take years to happen and something must be done. (And I wonder if I will be able to make this happen in the long run.) On the other hand, applicants should invest on developing themselves to have the competitive edge in the market. While it is true that there are many opportunities out there, competency is the name of the game. All job seekers may be competent but at what level?

For job seekers out there, which is the culprit? Opportunity or competency?

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