Of all the things that could cause CEOs sleepless nights – regulatory concerns, global competition, a new product launch – it’s the quest for skilled workers that is the most insomnia-inducing.
“The No. 1 prevailing keep-me-up-at-night issue that CEO's are challenged with is finding talent. It is not just about what the company does; it's more about who the company is going to attract. It's about who is going to make magic for the organization,” said Judy Enns, Ph.D., executive vice president of human resources at Eastridge Workforce Solutions.
As the job market becomes more competitive, workers have dedicated more time, money and effort toward skill development. It's these skills that top executives are seeking and hoping to bring into their organization. And it’s up to human resource professionals to not only find and attract these sought-after workers but also present them with a competitive offer and establish a seamless onboarding process that will allow them to get them up and running quickly and easily.
Because talent acquisition is so important, it has become a must-have for human resource departments as well as HR professionals, Enns said.
“While technology is taking over the basics of talent acquisition, the rest has become about sales and being able to sell opportunities to the right people at the right time,” she said.
In order to outthink industry rivals and survive during what’s been referred to as the “age of disruption,” executives are beginning to understand the need to acquire talent who is capable of helping an organization remain competitive and capitalize on necessary tech-crossovers that will keep them in the game and ahead of others, according to the C-Suite study conducted by IBM.
Talent acquisition may take on new forms as businesses combine cross-industry ecosystems to meet customers rising demand for innovation. According to the study, organizations are learning “what they can’t do alone, they can do together,” and this will require pulling both talented individuals and skilled teams that can incorporate new technologies into the organization.
As businesses recognize the economic value of thoughtfully hiring the right people, it is critical that human resource professionals develop the skills needed to find and attract skillful employees by deploying effective strategies to acquire them.
To meet this need, UC San Diego Extension has developed a specialized certificate in Talent Acquisition within its Human Resources portfolio. The program will offer practical and up-to-date information on identifying, sourcing, selecting and onboarding new employees into organizations. Additionally, students will be able to develop talent acquisition strategies that are compliant with equal employment as well as other employment laws and regulations. The program consists of two prerequisite and three required courses.
To learn more, visit extension.ucsd.edu/talentacquisition, or contact Alisa Watjara at 858-534-8148.
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