"The drug industry's new-product pipeline isn't the only thing that's down to a trickle. The talent pool is dwindling, too.

Higher education has not kept pace with the needs of Big Pharma or biotech, says Stephen Fussell, senior vice president of human resources at Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) ABT.

Abbott has 70,000 employees. It adds about 12,000 a year and loses about 5,000 for a net increase of 7,000. The company needs people with undergraduate and advanced degrees for jobs ranging from sales rep to laboratory researcher."

1. Find them. They didn't find you.
2. Establish two way communication. The hardest thing to do in "passive recruiting."
3. Gain their interest. Why should they come work for you.
4. Qualify them. Are they right for your company now or maybe for later? If not, should they "be in your network."
5. Get them hired. Getting them hired is your job, not the hiring manager's job.

I know my last point may go against a lot of corporate recruiter's beliefs that "hiring" is the hiring manager's job and a recruiters job is to find people or submit resumes...I just don't buy into that.

So, what I like about the new Apple's and their technology is their ability to create and deliver a message. The message usually comes down to a "hey, this is me and who I am" which is exactly what "high end" recruiters do. They relate before they recruit. They give before they get. They make the "talent" want to know them because it "pays off" in different ways. That pay off could come in a new job, good advice, interesting information, etc. It cuts the communication gap and once you have communication (item #2), you can take care of everything else. But without it, you can't do anything.

1. Reduce noise - We all have innumerable inboxes, interruptions, and distractions that are part of work and life — you can’t change that. What you can do is get more hard-nosed about the elective diversions that you invite into your world. Cancel a subscription for a magazine you never read or sign off an annoying mailing list. Needles get easier to find when you aren’t constantly adding new hay to the stack.
   
   
2. Write things down - Ever find a piece of paper in your office with seven digits on it? You know it’s a phone number, but whose? Get ruthless about jotting down ephemeral information if you’ll need to recall it later. Remember that your brain is a creative organ with limitless creative possibilities — but it makes a really crummy whiteboard.
   
   
3. Focus on action - My favorite productivity book, “Getting Things Done” highlights how anything you want to do in life eventually comes down to intentional physical activity — even if it’s something as mundane as “take out trash” and “call Mom.” Learn the habit of planning your world around action verbs rather than fuzzy nouns. “Implement Strategy” is not a task; it’s a project. “Call Jim about strategy” is a very do-able “next action” that keeps the ball in motion.
   
   
4. Get out of your inbox - Many of us are habituated to living out of our email inbox, voicemail, and the other “in baskets” of our lives. Instead, try to set aside regular, periodic times when you trawl for the new content in your life — then get back to work! Inboxes are delivery systems, not workspaces. The real work is happening in your brain and practically every other place that’s not an inbox. Stop allowing yourself to be brow-beaten by the latest, loudest, or most dramatic item that’s landed in your world.
   
   
5. Get pickier - You are the sole person in your life who gets to decide where your time and attention can go. Take that responsibility seriously by not wasting time on junk. You know in your heart what’s really important to you — does the current direction of your time and attention reflect that? Is “kid hugging” time where it should be in proportion to “Blackberry checking” time? Be mindful at the highest level about where you focus your energy, and always strive not to squander it on undeserving activities.