WHERE ARE ALL THE CANDIDATES?

by | Dec 3, 2016 | Press

Higher Ed Search Firm- Interview

By: Vincent Scaramuzzo, President, Ed-Exec, Inc.

It is the question everyone is asking.  If the private education sector is shrinking, how come it is so hard to find great candidates?  On the surface logic would dictate that employers should have multiple choices for each hire because of campus closings and downsizing – but oddly the exact opposite has been true. Here are three reasons I think it has been so hard to hire great talent in 2016.

  1. Some of the closed school groups like Corinthian, Westwood, and Marinello have substantially shrunken the candidate pool of performers to pull from.  Those candidates are tainted; no one wants them (first thing I hear when taking on a search now is don’t show me a candidate from one of these schools).  I know – it is very unfair to group everyone together but apparently some accreditors and others are not looking at them favorably if hired.
  2. The uncertainty and continuous attacks on the sector have led others who were downsized or thinking about a change to leave the sector.  They just don’t want to risk going to another school or relocating only to have their school close.  These folks have been migrating to “safer” sectors.
  3. Finally – the economy is on fire.  Unemployment is under 5%.  Unemployment for those over age 25 with a completed Bachelor’s degree is under 2%.  These candidates have many options outside of career ed.  These options typically pay more, and don’t have the insane hours that go along with the school business.

So bottom line is a lot of talented and passionate school people have left the sector – hence the premium on talent and shortage of candidates.

Vincent Scaramuzzo is the President of Ed-Exec, Inc. in Glastonbury, Connecticut. He has consistently been ranked in the top 2% of all recruiters worldwide by Management Recruiter’s International, the world’s largest executive search firm. Vincent is also a contributing author to Career College Central’s magazine and web site. As a specialist in the education field for over a decade, Scaramuzzo works nationally with Education Providers.