It’s tough out there. That’s a paraphrase of how Jill Nowacki, a 20 year veteran of the credit union industry and presently CEO of Humanidei + O’Rourke where she focuses on talent recruitment for credit unions.
When fast food outlets are advertising starting pay at $15 and up per hour in much of the country you get a hint of how tough it is right now to recruit for credit unions.
But the problems aren’t limited to entry level jobs. In this podcast Nowacki talks at length about issues in filling c-suite jobs (even CEO slots) and also the increasing challenges in recruiting new members for the board of directors.
One takeaway from this podcast: start thinking strategically about employees and board members. Random just isn’t going to hack it anymore.
Also focus in on the credit union advantages in hiring – for instance a genuine community focus and a focus not on profits but on doing good. Many of us – and especially many younger people – put a high priority on those attitudes and credit unions have the right stuff.
Nowacki admits that at senior level jobs banks have a powerful attraction – stock options that can produce personal wealth. Credit unions do not have options. Bur they have that powerful draw of a culture committed to doing good. And that will bring in job applicants.
Nowacki does not underplay the difficulties in today’s hiring marketplace but she nonetheless is upbeat. That’s the attitude that just may prevail in today’s talent wars.
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Want to listen to more of the Credit Union 2.0 podcast series? Click here to view the series.
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