The first time we visited our favorite luxury hotel in Taos, we never left the property – it was that good. A return visit last November was a different story. It was clear the property had suffered during the pandemic and customer service was poor. The heating in our room did not work, and the swimming pool and hot tub were out of commission. Lightbulbs of various colors made the property look like a cheap hotel at night, and an impressive, full doggy bag left on our terrace were all indications of trouble.
I asked one of the poorly-trained valets if the hotel is having difficulty finding staff. He said, "Yes, we had a career fair recently and only five people showed up. Only two were hired and those are part-timers."
"Career Fairs are mid-twentieth century recruiting strategies that predate the mobile phone."
My first thought was, "career fairs are mid-twentieth century recruiting strategies that ignore the existence of the internet!" The whole premise of a career fair is that people are looking for jobs and will come to the "fair." The strategy not only predates the mobile phone but is also obtuse to what is happening in the labor market. My second thought was, "we are staying at the best resort in Taos, one of the most beautiful anywhere. They should not be having difficulty attracting talent."
We were in Taos for a long weekend and so had time to visit museums, the ski resort, and several restaurants. In each of these locations, I identified bright, hardworking employees that should be working at our favorite hotel. Capable people are available. There was a lovely receptionist at the Fechin House and excellent waiters at the Medley. I later suggested to the manager that if I were him, he would be visiting all the businesses in Taos – this is not a large town – to find the brightest and best and invite them to come work for him at the most beautiful property in town. He seemed shocked at the suggestion! Understaffed enterprises are literally waiting for people to show up to work for them.
"You must find and invite the people you want to come work for you. This is an invitation-only hiring environment."
Although the landscape may be shifting, we are still experiencing a candidate-driven environment in which workers hold all the cards. What we have learned from this is not that recruiting is now harder, but that little recruiting was – or is – actually being done.
Another example is from my state, New Mexico. There is a chronic and severe physician shortage in the State which is the subject of numerous front-page news stories every year. A recent graduate of the University of New Mexico Medical School wrote a letter to the editor explaining that he is from New Mexico and wanted to practice medicine in New Mexico, but no one in NM invited (recruited) him to stay. He ended up taking a job in California.
Invitations may be in person, by phone, via email, or even a text. But no one is coming to the party who is not invited. Recruiting has not been tried and found wanting. Recruiting has not been tried.
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