Staffing solutions and recruiting in the future

Posted by: Matt Rivera

When I was growing up in California, one of my favorite Disneyland attractions — other than the obvious thrill rides — was the Carousel of Progress. Located in the big, round building in Tomorrowland, it was based on the 1964 New York World’s Fair exhibition of the future. Once you stepped inside, you could see the world of the future pass before you.

It’s said that this was one of Walt Disney’s favorites and that he liked to take his visitors and investors there. It was great for a growing boy’s imagination, and it was also something to do after you were all out of E tickets. (Yes, I’m old enough to remember the actual tickets.)

The Carousel of Progress moved to Walt Disney World many years ago, but I traveled to Disneyland over spring break, and it got me thinking about what staffing solutions and recruiting will be like in the future. Here are a couple of things that came to mind.

Some people will never work as permanent employees. The recession forced many people into working independently or starting their own businesses. Some will probably never work for corporate America again. (For many this was already the case.) In the future, many businesses will simply have a network of partners and independent workers. In many areas, staffing companies will provide the link to a vast network of independent workers.

Finding a job will be more personal. Social media has taught us that nothing is a secret, especially if you can put it into 140 characters or less. In the future, staffing solutions will have to provide a more personalized experience to rise above the chatter. Companies and staffing providers will have to make it seem like they are only looking for you (the candidate) and that they already understand how you will fit into their position and culture. It’s scary to think about, but some of that information is already out there.

Proving who we are and how we fit will be more difficult. I had to think of at least one challenge for the future, right? Virtual employment, online interactions, and the ability to craft your online persona will create challenges for staffing in the future. Are you who you say you are and can you do the job? (If you’ve ever seen the movie “Gattaca,” you’ll know what I’m talking about here.) Hopefully in the future there will also be more testing and verification tools to overcome this issue.

One thing that won’t change in the future is the personal touch that goes along with the sourcing and recruiting process. Walt Disney realized this when he instituted strict training and rules for how to treat guests of his parks. This is important to remember as technology continues to crowd our lives with constant input. Having a real conversation or determining the right fit by actually meeting a candidate won’t and shouldn’t go away. Treating candidates more like guests will be important as well.

One last thing. Last week I also went to Universal Studios in California. In case you were wondering, my fallback career was going to be the wise-cracking tram operator on the studio backlot tour. Maybe that’s my retirement gig? “Earlier we saw the house from ‘Father Knows Best,’ but right now mother always knows best at the house from the movie ‘Psycho.'"