By definition, Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Depending on the source, the term dates either from the 1980s or as far back as 1966, although its usage was primarily on the East coast. On Black Friday, many retailers open very early, with most of the retailers typically opening at 5AM or even earlier, at midnight.

The day’s roots may have originated in Philadelphia, where it was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. It is not uncommon to see shoppers lined up for hours before stores with big sales open. Once inside the stores, shoppers often rush and grab, as many stores have only a few of the big-draw items.

So what would it look like if there was a ‘Black Friday’ for jobs? Companies would open or advertise “great deals” on jobs (a.k.a. the best positions with the best compensation, to be attractive to the consumer/employee). Companies would put on an advertising blitz to promote the positions and potential candidates would line up hours before corporate doors opened to be the first considered for the job. Now let’s think about this for a moment, does this really apply to non-retail corporate human capital management??? No, it doesn’t.

First of all, an organization that’s trying to fill a premium job with attractive compensation is going to be more selective and targeted in their approach to finding and attracting qualified candidates rather than taking the ‘cattle call’ approach. Second, when non-retail corporations open their doors, the least likely to get the job are the ones that are waiting in line the night before to get in the door first (a.k.a., they’re often seeking to uncover the “passive candidate”, or person not explicitly seeking the job, versus “active candidates” for the premium, high paying and highly skilled roles). In fact, the “more active” you are as a candidate the less desirable you may appear to the hiring manager. It’s a delicate balance between appearing interested and knowledgeable on the company/role with good follow through and coming across as needy and desperate for the position. Can you imagine how a prospective candidate would be perceived by a hiring manager if they acted as they do on Black Friday during the feeding frenzy of being the first to the cash register with the new shiny object that is heavily discounted? Or pushing and shoving other candidates (or shoppers) to get the last standing product on the shelf (or job) – not so attractive and it’s definitely not recommended behavior to land yourself the top job.

It’s safe to say though, that this may be how many of us felt this past year trying to land our next job. With national unemployment hovering around 10%, it’s no wonder that many people (candidates) have felt a similar level of desperation and neediness to land that next job, as they have felt to grab that last item on sale at Wal-Mart. It’s a classic matter of supply and demand. As mentioned in our Thanksgiving blog, what a difference a year makes. A good indicator of organizational growth is an increase in the hiring of sales individuals – the revenue producing arm of a company. We’ve seen substantial changes from this time last year with our clients, providing a good indication of a promising 2011 for improved employment.

Let’s learn from the characteristics of “Black Friday”, and vow not to conduct ourselves in the same manner through our career search in 2011! Discount shopping behaviors do not translate well to behaviors necessary to land a job!

As I sit down to write this blog I think about last November and how we were in the midst of what turned out to be the tail end of the “Great Recession”. Financial minds were discussing “doomsday” and “double dips”, and those of us still employed were thankful to have a job with so many out of work. I recall a top performing manager of mine asking when we were going to start “letting people go”. Thankfully, we did not have a lay-off, but to me that statement sums up the mindset of many just one year ago.

Now, a year later, with the recession hopefully behind us and hiring beginning to pick up, leaders need to be increasingly thankful for their top performing employees. Over the past year, employers who have retained staff during the recession have naturally created loyalty among their employees. This year will be one of transition for both employers and employees, and employers that still act as if we are in the heart of the recession are in for a rough year next year. Meaning, we must plan now to be different and act different. 2011 will be a year of change for many people–promotions or merit increases that were put on hold because of the economy will be reinstated, new career opportunities that were promised will be made good, and if not, talented employees will begin to look outside their current organization, if they haven’t started already.

We have to remember that if we’re not continually re-recruiting our own talent internally, someone else is from the outside.  Ultimately, it’s easier to retain good talent than it is to find them externally, train, engage, and maintain. We see from our clients the extreme push to get the top talent that has been neglected from their current employer. It is not a secret; recruiters know which companies treat their employees well and which do not.

Let’s take time to reflect on what we’re thankful for during this Thanksgiving holiday, and not take for granted that our best employees will stay with us simply because there aren’t many options for them to move. Times are changing and organizations are always looking for top talent. Although money is one of the main reasons we all go to work every day, it is not always someone’s single motivator. Plan now for how you will maintain and cultivate your employees, as well as strategize and plant the seeds to find new talent. Regardless of whether or not you have budget, there are a few keys to retain current staff in 2011–be creative, communicate, engage and a simple thank you never hurts.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Welcome to the Human Capital Connection, a blog sponsored by WilsonHCG. We are pleased to announce the inception of the blog, which was created for professionals interested in human capital industry trends, perspectives and best practices to lead to “Better People, Better Business” (our business motto).
Each month we plan to bring to you thoughtful perspectives from industry and business leaders, corporate employer and employee perspectives, new hire and candidate perspectives, as well as our own interpretation of current events and how they impact or influence the fields of recruitment process outsourcing, executive search and human capital consulting.
Stay tuned! Our goal is to deliver a blog that leads to interesting industry discussions in the Human Capital, Talent Acquisition and Management arena. We encourage you to join the discussions and share your thoughts on what is important to you. Make sure to follow us on Twitter: @WilsonHCG, become a fan on Facebook and join us on LinkedIn for additional discussions.