What if the skills shortage were actually due to a lack of imagination, courage and the right attitude rather than to a lack of people?
Companies are always complaining that they can’t fill their vacancies. But the real problem may lie inside rather than outside the organization. Steinbeis expert Stefan Wilke explains why it is time to let go of the fixation on flawless résumés – and instead focus on potential and personality. He discusses practical methods, inspiring examples and the fundamental question of whether we are prepared to take responsibility.
Causes of skills shortage and degree of company responsibility
It’s easy to think that the “skills shortage” is an immutable law of nature, when in fact it is often a product of entrenched mindsets and narrowly defined expectations. Stefan Wilke insists that before you start complaining, you should check whether the real shortage is a lack of openness, courage or flexibility in your own business. There are many effective solutions that have been out there a long time – it’s just a case of implementing them.
Best practices: solutions with instant impact
When a medium-sized IT company in Baden-Württemberg started using soft skills based potential analysis, the results spoke for themselves. A 30% fall in staff turnover was accompanied by a 25% increase in the vacancy filling rate.
A care provider in North Rhine-Westphalia received 18% more applications within a year of introducing targeted part-time working arrangements for single parents.
At a time when the number of applicants was falling, a Bavarian manual trade business was able to recruit three new apprentices by carrying out targeted social media campaigns and working with local schools.
When a metalworking company in Saxony brought in flexible working hours for older tradespeople, it benefited from their personal recommendations and a steady stream of new recruits from the local community.
Adapting your strategy to your company size and industry
Not every measure is right for every company – context is key. Large enterprises and corporations have greater financial and structural resources, but their decision-making processes are often more complex. Their strengths include established HR development programs, diversity, career paths and employer branding. However, the necessary change towards a more agile, dialogue-based and employee-focused culture requires active management. Key enablers in this context include the use of innovative HR technologies, systematic leadership development, international recruitment, internal talent programs and structured succession planning.
For their part, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have fewer resources, but faster decision-making processes and closer contact with their staff. Other key advantages include flat hierarchies and an open feedback culture. SMEs can increase their visibility and appeal by strengthening cooperation with vocational schools, universities and local job centers. This can help with the targeted recruitment of young talents.
Different industries may also require different approaches. The industrial and engineering sectors, which have been particularly impacted by technological change and an aging skilled workforce, can benefit from a focus on dual education, robotics-related skills and partnerships with universities of applied sciences.
Soft skills like empathy, trustworthiness and good communication skills are particularly valued in the caring and healthcare professions and the social services. Life-stage-based work schedules, job sharing arrangements and the targeted integration of skilled professionals from other countries can provide sustainable solutions in these sectors.
The IT and digital industries are characterized by global competition for talent. In these industries, the keys to success include authentic employer branding, projects that have a sense of purpose, and flexible working arrangements such as hybrid and remote working.
Meanwhile, the challenges facing the manual trades are a shortage of young recruits, problems with their image and low visibility. Promising measures in this sector include early career guidance in schools, authentic social media communication, Chamber of Trades and Crafts programs and regional training initiatives. Strengths include practical training, a family business culture and the targeted inclusion of women and career changers.
Typical mistakes
Stefan Wilke insists that “Most talents aren’t headhunted by the competition – they leave a company because they don’t see a future for themselves there.”
Failings typically occur in the following areas:
- In recruitment: a rigid obsession with résumés and impersonal, anonymous processes
- In staff retention: a lack of development prospects and sense of purpose
- In management: a culture of control rather than trust, an outdated understanding of management
The keys to modern recruitment: personality, flexibility and a sense of purpose
Today, genuinely effective recruitment calls for:
- Credible, authentic employer branding
- A focus on personality rather than solely on qualifications
- Application procedures that encourage dialogue rather than discouraging people from applying
- Inclusion rather than exclusion
- Flexible working arrangements to suit different stages in employees’ lives
- Digital tools to help identify potential early on
Approaches that don’t work anymore include:
- Attractive salaries, but with no development prospects
- Glossy brochures full of empty words
- Inflexible career stages with no room for individual development
- “Benefits” that don’t add any real value
- Application procedures that lack the personal touch
- Inflexibly highlighting a particular location’s advantages
- Image campaigns that don’t give a realistic impression of what it’s actually like to work for the company
Potential more important than résumés
Being prepared to actively engage in your work is more important than having the perfect résumé. Observable soft skills often say more about someone than their formal qualifications. Key skills include willingness to learn, being good at teamwork, being a good communicator, self-reflection, resilience, personal responsibility, digital literacy, customer focus, problem-solving and, crucially, creativity.
A good way of assessing someone’s potential is to start by asking them a simple but revealing question: “What’s the last thing you taught yourself?”
HR management: the foundation of a successful business
Good HR management isn’t a cost factor – it’s the foundation of tomorrow’s successful organization. Effective HRM is reflected in various ways:
- strategic embedding of HR issues
- long-term strategic focus
- systematic employee focus
- inclusive approach mandatory continuing professional development strategies
- transparent communication and participation
- sustainable leadership culture
- work that has a sense of purpose
- measurability, evaluation and impact assessment
Modern recruitment: ten questions for managers
The following reflective questions can help to challenge existing structures and initiate concrete changes:
- Does our recruitment process have clear criteria for identifying soft skills?
- Does our management culture focus on HR development rather than control?
- Do we offer flexible working arrangements for everyone, including older employees and single parents?
- Are we actively working with schools, job centers or regional initiatives?
- Is inclusion genuinely part of our corporate culture in practice?
- Are our application procedures dialogue-based and accessible?
- Are our employees allowed to co-create, or are they just there to carry out instructions?
- Do we systematically identify professional development requirements and take the corresponding measures?
- Is HR development strategically embedded within the company?
- Do we assess job applicants based on their potential, or just on their résumé?
Change starts now
The skills shortage isn’t something that’s beyond our control – it’s a management issue. By taking responsibility, exploring new approaches and recognizing potential, you can modernize HR management and actively strengthen your company’s future prospects. Ultimately, a forward-thinking HR policy isn’t a luxury – it’s essential to the survival of your business. And you don’t need to wait for the perfect time to start – you just need to take the plunge.
Identifying soft skills: typical responses and what they mean
- “I’m a good listener – my friends tell me everything.” → empathy, trustworthiness, social intelligence
- “I’m a doer, not a talker.” → good at implementing, pragmatism, personal responsibility
- “I like structuring things and creating order.” → organizational skills, systematic approach, process awareness
- “I’m always the one who resolves conflicts in a team.” → moderation skills, good communicator, leadership
- “I taught myself programming/a language.” → independent learning skills, intrinsic motivation, affinity for technology or languages
- “I like it when things are busy and I need to improvise.” → good at coping with stress, spontaneity, dynamism
- “I’m a people person – I’m quick to work out what makes someone tick.” → understanding of human nature, social sensitivity, recruitment or customer focus
- “I’m good at coming up with creative solutions when others are stumped.” → creativity, problem-solving skills, innovativeness
- “I prefer working on my own – I get more done that way.” → self-reliance, focus, potentially more introverted way of working
- “I’ve often taken responsibility in the past, even if it wasn’t easy.” → leadership maturity, strength of character, diligence