Sentinel clients of all sizes and industry type tell us they are having trouble finding qualified employees to fill open positions. With a national unemployment rate of less than 4 percent–the lowest on record since 1970–it’s little wonder that employers here in North Carolina are struggling with the downside of an up economy.
When the job market has more open positions than there are people to fill those positions, HR managers may need to consider alternative recruitment strategies, including higher starting salaries and a relaxing of certain educational and accreditation standards.
Another alternative strategy has some HR experts encouraging employers to rethink their stance on background checks with regard to candidates with criminal histories.
“In a tight job market, such as the one we’re in now, small businesses, in particular, are going to have to think more strategically about where their next great employee could come from,” said Doug Blizzard, a vice-president at CAI, a Raleigh human resource and compliance firm. “You can look beyond the background check in some instances, and still follow good hiring protocols, and end up with a really good employee.”
Sentinel clients are invited to take part in a special CAI webinar that will detail these and other alternative recruitment strategies on August 23 at 1 p.m. The webinar is free to Sentinel clients and guests. Sign up here.
