An article in USA Today caught my eye last week as I was enjoying my morning coffee at the HR Technology Conference in Chicago. In the article, authors Margaret McGurk and Lori Kurtzman describe the active war for talent that is emerging in the civil engineering field. As a result of population expansion and the aging infrastructure of our nation's roads, bridges, buildings, etc., civil engineering firms are finding it increasingly harder to recruit qualified candidates. Couple this with a current workforce that will see high percentages of retiring workers in the next 5 to 7 years, and the problem only compounds itself.

To combat this problem, civil engineering firms are utilizing creative and innovative means to attract candidates, even going as far as beginning the recruiting process "by pouring time and money into selling the profession to schoolchildren, beginning in kindergarten." Firms are also offering college scholarships to students as a means to ensure a pipeline of talent when they graduate and enter the workforce.

This article only emphasizes how the current focus of recruiting efforts in many fields must change quickly in order to compete in a market short on supply and heavy on demand. Traditional recruiting methods won't cut it as companies face increased pressure as talent pools shrink. Survival in the war for talent will depend on building a talent pipeline using creative methods to reach, engage, and connect with candidates early in the game. Companies that fail to set themselves apart will come up short when it comes to fulfilling the critical talent needs of the organization.