I’ll admit it. I’ve played the role of the “typical” HR person for a number of years. Writing policies for the possible infractions, following the rules because you might be setting a precedent and hiring people for the organization’s gap in skills was my mantra.

But, I try hard not to be just average – it is overcrowded. These are all activities and results of an “average” HR person. I’ve grown and my organizations desire more from me and from my role.

Source: inmagine.com

Today, we still hire to fill the “gap.” We’re constantly assessing our organizational needs for talents and reviewing what exists within our current team. And of course, developing the skills/capabilities of our current staff is an ongoing process. But….

We also create positions for people who have skills we need. In a previous blog post, I talked about how we handle recruiting with a much more proactive perspective. These two ideas relate to each other. We don’t just interview after someone leaves our organization or we finally decide it’s time to add someone else to the team. We’re always interviewing and assessing what talent is available to us. The beauty of this, is the development of potential partnerships that may lead to better client results and a better employment brand .

Because of our industry, the skill sets we seek and need are often changing. This is a result of the progressive nature of technology, the digital world and our constantly evolving client list. But, whether it’s programming ; design; writing; admin.; marketing or project/client management skills, we need them. We’ve added content management, and digital media including social media to the mix in the last year. Some of that has been very specific and some of it has been more organic.

So try it out, HR and hiring managers! Just as we suggest networking for career seekers, we should be networking with available talent. And during this networking we should be asking the question: what value can this person add to my team that doesn’t exist (and that I may not have even known I needed). And when you find someone like this, create a position that both fills your “gaps” and adds new value to the team.