In my last post, The State of Optimism in 2010: Opportunities for Genuine Changes, I talked about the large numbers of candidates applying for jobs and the challenges and opportunities at each stage of the hiring process.

Here is some insight on the potential pipeline from a civil government ROTC.

The present economic crisis has highlighted education and training gaps: unemployed individuals who lack the qualifications for open positions. Government-like industry is especially lacking a stream of qualified entry level candidates with the appropriate educational backgrounds to match positions. For example, many agencies seek Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) majors, which trends up and down among undergraduates. The Roosevelt Scholars Act (HJ.R. Bill 3510), introduced on July 31, 2009 and presently in Committee, seeks to establish a scholarship program that assists graduate students with their education in exchange for a commitment to federal service.

If passed, the legislation would create a civilian ROTC program by offering scholarships in mission-critical fields including science, engineering, public health, information technology, foreign languages and law, in exchange for a federal service commitment on completion of their degree.  

Look for an increased emphasis on other ways to tie education to government service: internship and fellowship programs, forgiveness of student loans and the use of relationship with college departmental heads to recruit.

Whether or not sweeping change is on the horizon, there is certainly reason for optimism in 2010.

In a post earlier this year, I commented on a survey of 30,000 American undergraduates sponsored by the Partnership for Public Service. Among other findings, the survey identified factors that appeared most attractive to graduates for their first jobs out of school.

The top three potential attractors are:

• work/life balance
• job security, and
• the opportunity to serve a greater good.

As I’ve said before, all three attributes are (or should be) strong suits for federal recruiters, and the agency that doesn’t accommodate all three in its employer brand positioning is probably missing a bet. What selling point for government employment in general could be more compelling than the notion of serving the greater good--particularly in light of the surge in enthusiasm for public service inspired by last Fall’s election?

I’m not suggesting that you emphasize these three baseline attractors to the exclusion of your agency’s unique attributes—the particular challenges and satisfactions of your mission, the qualities that distinguish your workplace culture, your special programs for learning and advancement, and so on. Your recruiting proposition should draw on both government-wide and agency-specific selling points.

Even so, presenting your employment value proposition accurately and compellingly is just a start. You should consider a “push” strategy, which means propelling this authentic positioning outward into the talent marketplace, where it can work for you by engaging students who may be particularly inclined to favor your agency over others. Find the folks who find your values, culture, and mission compelling; if you handle the interaction right, you quickly find yourself in conversation with high-value prospects. .

So I’m suggesting two mutually supportive approaches here. First, make sure that your employer brand addresses the general strong points of federal employment as well as your agency-unique attributes. Second, consider “push” techniques like advertising, sponsorships, online search approaches, and even direct e-mail campaigns. In a nutshell, place your employer brand where it can attract the most attention from the most desirable and most motivated candidates.

Because American government has been assigned a nearly unprecedented role in spurring economic recovery, many agencies are expanding their mission responsibilities. And as missions are extended into new realms of activity, Federal workers in many agencies are effectively in the hot seat. Their performance—and that of the teams they’re assembling-- will tell the tale on the government’s readiness to shepherd us all out of this crisis. Many a Department with a recovery-related mission—including Treasury, Energy, Commerce, HHS, and a long roster of other agencies--is poised to ramp up efforts to recruit new employees at all levels.

As I’ve said before, this year has provided us with an unmatched opportunity to recharge the government’s working talent—provided agencies can get 2009’s “windfall” of candidates on board expeditiously. Weakness in the general economy has brought thousands of qualified recruits to the government’s doorstep: likewise the widespread surge in enthusiasm for government careers among recent and imminent grads. And now many agencies are retooling for recovery-support responsibilities, which will in turn create more demand for qualified workers.

The key is life-cycle talent management, not just recruiting. But bringing a wealth of new talent onboard is just the beginning. Keeping employees productively engaged and enthusiastic about their work is the real key to sustained human capital success. The dispiriting truth today is that most agencies don’t devote enough attention to matching talent to task, and to keeping productive teams and individuals engaged and inspired by their work.

Recruiting programs, no matter how successful, aren’t meant to address the underlying challenge here. All employers have to respond creatively to evolving workforce needs throughout the full employment life-cycle. Otherwise, attrition drains away any human capital advantage the organization has gained while its available supply of talent was deep.

Senior leadership has to step up. If government is going to address this issue squarely, senior agency and Department executives (and not just Chief Human Capital Officers) need to step forward as vocal and proactive champions of strategic talent management. This means mandating comprehensive talent management programs at the heart of every human capital initiative, coupling life-cycle talent management with all Department or agency strategic planning, and fostering a pervasive talent “consciousness” among their key subordinates and agency populations.

If government is to gain any traction in our economic recovery, Federal executives have to take the lead in shaping realistic, long-term strategies to engage, retain, and reward the talented individuals who will sustain their newly expanded missions in the months and years to come.

They can’t fall short here. There’s just too much at stake.

I’ve heard it said that a recession is something that happens to other people. If it happens to you, it’s more than some term that defines a segment of the business cycle – it’s personal disaster.

However, information being delivered about the economy is taking on the look and feel of some local news station clawing for ratings – it’s the business equivalent of yelling fire, murder, blizzard, hurricane, and 50-care pile-up on the freeway, all rolled into one glorious this-is-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it (a fine REM song by the way). And it’s coming from everywhere, 24/7 so to speak.

So let’s examine what’s going on. 11.4% unemployment in January. 12.2% when confined to non-agriculture industries. Man, that’s one nasty downturn. Except the year I’m referring to isn’t 2009, it’s 1983.

You mean we’ve been through this before? And more recently then the Great Depression everyone seems to want to dredge up?

Well, yes and no. This is not an equal opportunity recession. Certain industry sectors and geographic regions are getting hit much harder than others. In January of this year, unemployment in the construction sector was a whopping 18.2%, durable goods manufacturing was at 11.2% in that same period, with leisure and hospitality at 11.5%. Michigan is getting beat badly with 10.6% unemployment reported in December of 2008, with Rhode Island not faring much better at 10.0%.

However, Education and health services is at 3.8%, Government at 3.0%, and Financial services surprisingly at 6.0%. In the meantime, Nebraska reported 4.0% in December with Kansas at 5.2% and New Hampshire at 4.6%.

Now I’m certainly not calling for a chorus of “Let the good times roll.” There are many people that are in dire straits and need help. But I am suggesting we look more precisely at what’s going on.

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