What is a “knowledge worker?”

Knowledge worker is a term coined by Peter Drucker and refers to people in the information technology fields, academic professionals, researchers, lawyers, and scientists, etc.  Knowledge workers are believed to produce more when empowered to make the most of their skills; they can often work on many projects at the same time; and know how to organize their time.

What is the knowledge worker shortage?

At least 78 million boomers will be retiring in the next 2-5 years and many are knowledge workers.  In addition, fewer college students are going into the engineering and/or environmental fields because of perceived unfavorable corporate culture and lower salaries.  Also, the national high school drop-out rate is 30%.  Finally, according to a article on the top 50 best jobs:  environmental scientist was number 45.  All of these factors have combined to create a knowledge worker shortage.  Experts say Engineering will be in the top 5 industries hardest hit by the shortage.

What is the “Opportunity Gap?” 

To the majority of job seekers, companies looking for candidates are barely different from each other; the job functions and job descriptions all sound the same; the technical challenges, and even the compensation packages are basically the same.  The inability of companies to differentiate themselves in the marketplace is called the “Opportunity Gap.”

The top 5 reasons for taking a job:

According to a recent poll:

1. The job itself: the challenges, the opportunity:  “What will I be doing and becoming.”
2. The boss
3. A work environment that instills pride and respect
4. Geography
5. Compensation

Is your company ready to rewrite job descriptions based on Performance Based Hiring?

A recent poll showed that the top reason for taking a job is the job itself:  the challenges, the opportunity, “What will I be doing and becoming?”  Since most job descriptions do not address these issues, a good place to start closing the Opportunity Gap is by rethinking & rewriting job descriptions to specifically show a candidate the reasons for taking the job.  Performance Based Hiring is an approach that changes the way you look at candidates and resumes away from “having” (example:  having 5 years experience in wastewater design) to “doing”  (example:  designed two successful wastewater plants for Boston, MA). 

Is your company an “Employer of Choice?”

An “Employer of Choice” has a reputation in the marketplace that makes people want to work there, people who say:  “I’d love to work there!”  Performance Based Hiring, a streamlined proactive hiring/decision-making process, a work environment that instills pride and respect, a commitment to training and developing staff, empowerment, compensation, an employee-focused work place—all these things define an “Employer of Choice.”  By making a commitment and investment in change and a top-down shift in collective thinking, your company can become an Employer of Choice.  In the age of knowledge worker shortages, this is the most proactive approach to attracting and keeping the best people.

For more information or if you have additional questions about Derek Associates services, please contact us.