McKinsey first coined the phrase the "War for Talent" describing the phenomena of converging mega-trends which resulted in organisations for the first time having to be proactive in attracting and retaining the best people.

The first of these mega-trends considered the demographics of the population in the Western world which sees an ageing population, and in many instances evidence that the retiring work force was outnumbering those entering. This trend is predicted to continue throughout the next decade.

The second mega-trend was the education process that took place either through training programmes or brutal experience in the form of job loss. This highlighted to the individual, in no uncertain terms, that the job for life was dead and that their employer would no longer manage their career. They were now responsible for seeking new opportunities, staying employable and creating their own career path.

The third mega-trend was the Internet which freed up the job market and made it easier than at any other time in history for individuals to find fulfilling, rewarding work. The trend for job boards, like Monster, which logs an individual's details and then searches for appropriate opportunities is becoming commonplace. Now, with minimal effort a job seeker can find a myriad of alternative work and career options.

Although intellectually many organisations are aware of these trends few in practice are implementing a comprehensive strategy, which responds to this new environment.

Most organisations have a company branded website, but few benchmark their site against other organisations to discover whether the site is successful in attracting new employees. Almost without exception, the job seeker will visit a company to gather information about prospective employers and often that experience alone, fairly or unfairly, convinces a talented employee, in a job rich market, that they do not want to work with that company.

Much has been written about employers of choice in the last few years but, once again, there is little evidence that companies are conducting market research into their brand identity from a prospective employees view-point and developing strategies to address any weak areas.

The recruitment process in many organisations has also failed to respond to the mega-trends listed above.

Recruitment methodologies have not changed at the pace that they should in order to attract and recruit the most talented staff in this candidate rich market.

The mega-trend of job boards seeking out alternative opportunities for individual employees is here to stay and will become more commonplace over the next two or three years. Once again the challenge here for employers is to respond proactively to this trend and provide Intranet sites within companies which assist individuals to manage their careers effectively.

Although many organisations are starting to implement this strategy, the gap between what is happening in the market-place and the number of companies who are responding to it in terms of attracting and retaining the best staff is still widening rather than decreasing!