The applicant market is upside down – self-made skills shortage

10 tips that you absolutely must “take to heart”

The Fair Wine Academy is not just about wine. Sustainability has many pillars and so we also see ourselves very well positioned in areas that at first glance have nothing to do with wine, but are needed in order to sell wine successfully. Our special skills therefore always have very special added value for our seminar clientele. That’s what makes the difference, because we know our way around.

The application phases for apprenticeships ended a few weeks ago. A good friend told me that his offspring had applied for an apprenticeship at two large, major retail companies operating throughout Germany. He showed me both letters in which these companies introduced themselves and invited me to an interview and aptitude test.

While one company literally wooed applicants, trying to get them excited about the company with every sentence, making itself “sexy”, i.e. presenting itself as particularly desirable, the other presented itself in a rather reserved, almost off-putting manner, strict in tone and with many traditional standard formulations.

So it was quickly decided which of the two would get an appointment from the offspring.

The applicant market is upside down

It used to be the case that HR managers thanked applicants for the interview and said goodbye to them with the words “We’ll be in touch”. Today the applicant says: “Thank you for your time, I’ll put you on the shortlist, be patient, I’ll get back to you”.

In sectors where there is already a shortage of skilled workers, you should be prepared for potential employees to be mercilessly weeded out when a large number of vacancies arise.

Here are 10 tips on how to successfully keep young applicants away from your company with 100% certainty. (to be read with a wink)

1. Formulate your invitation in stilted officialese, brief and to the point. The less information there is in the cover letter, the less the applicant has to think about beforehand.
2. Don’t use a friendly tone, young people today have their own language anyway, which also leaves a lot to be desired. You can also gain the respect of the rebellious youth with an intimidating maneuver in the form of strict announcements.
3. Don’t put so much emphasis on the correct spelling of the name, young people today are much more relaxed and look past it.
4. Directions are unnecessary. Have the applicants ask the gatekeeper for all the necessary information. Don’t forget to mention that the applicants have enough time for the gatekeeper. You can imagine that trucks and other visitors are still being processed in front of them.
5. Applicants should know that your customer is “king”. That’s why they don’t park in its parking lot. Make this unmistakably clear to them. You can take an elegant turn on the subject of cars and announce that travel costs will not be reimbursed.
6. Also make it clear that applicants must arrange their own accommodation. You should also refrain from recommending hotels, because if you don’t like the room, it will fall back on you.
7. Don’t forget to mention what applicants can bring to the interview. Young people today know that much better.
8. If you invite applicants to take the aptitude test, don’t go into details about the content and what they can do beforehand. It is best if the applicants come to you unprepared and therefore unbiased, as this is the best way to get to know them.
9. Indicate that the test may take some time. Do not agree to a time limit and point out that snacks and drinks must be brought along.
10. Your corporate philosophy is only the mission statement for your customers. It cannot be assumed that applicants are interested in your values.