If you don't have vision you won't get the value

The majority of organisations are all competing to recruit staff. This will of course vary from part-timers, to graduates, to experienced people and senior executives. But there is a common problem with all of them - there are simply not enough people to fill every position available from the existing traditional skill resources. Many companies simply don't have any vision when it comes to acknowledging this problem.

So what are companies actually doing about this? Well, I believe there to be six types of companies out there at the moment, with differing philosophies on solving this problem. Here they are:

1. The Ostrich companies: they simply stick their heads in the sand, ignore the real problems and hope that 'it will all be ok in the end'. Verdict - totally reactive and will lose more staff than they hire.
2. The Blinkered companies: they accept that there are problems recruiting, but will stick to the 'tried and tested' methods because they 'have always worked before'. Verdict - they will continue to recruit the same type of people to the business, no variety.
3. The Glasses companies: they can see some of the problems, and are doing something about it (hence the glasses), by looking at some new methods of hiring. Verdict - they will be hiring people from both existing and new sources, which will positively change the talent balance.
4. The Good Eyesight companies: they are using a full range of resources and methods available to them  to recruit their staff. They will be using everything from their career site, referrals, direct advertising, job boards and (even) agencies where needed. Verdict - they will be slightly ahead of the hiring game with a contingency well in place.
5. The Binocular companies: they have seen how implementing some of the new web 2.0 strategies can help tapping into new talent pools. They will be using blogs, social networking, online referral schemes etc to proactively approach recruiting. They are forward thinking and resourceful and will have no problem in attracting the best talent. Verdict - they will be able to have the luxury of choice of candidates, as they will be seen as an employer of choice.
6. Totally Telescopic companies: these are truly the visionaries in the world of recruitment. They are always at the cutting edge of sourcing talent, and continually pushing the boundaries of how to find the best they can. Not afraid of trying new directions, and this will usually echo the philosophy of the products and services that they sell. Verdict- they are turning people away because of the demand they have created. They are true visionaries and people just want to be a part of it.

So in terms of recruiting staff, I believe that if you don't have the vision of looking ahead and understanding new recruitment methods, and try different things, then you sill simply not get any value for your business. So what type of company are you working for?