Have you had a cupcake recently? What am I saying, of course you have. Cupcakes are the new black, the cat’s meow, the Lady to my Gaga. That is, until recently. Cupcakes are out after a five-year period of popularity, making the rounds at weddings, graduation parties, and my grandpa’s 90th birthday bash. Cupcakes will not cease to exist, by any means. There are enough school bake sales to keep them afloat, but the time has come for a new baked good to take center stage: the pie. Or so I read.
Whether or not pie is the next cupcake isn't up to me. Although I may take credit for the pie sensation sweeping the nation as I have probably eaten more pie over the last few years than cupcakes, come to think of it. I welcome pie’s new found popularity.
But the pie has its challenges as the cupcake reluctantly takes second place. Since the fad began a variety of business opportunities have made cupcakes very profitable: cookbooks dedicated to the cupcake, cupcakeries (that’s a cupcake bakery), and mutliple television series all owe their success to this personal-size-cake. Can pie live up to all the cupcake hype?
Thinking about the cupcake vs. pie dilemma, I am reminded about the current and growing trends in human capital. Some are more obvious than others, like the multi-generational workforce and the rise of social media recruiting. I would say that college recruiting is the next big thing as the economy slowly improves and companies look to replace the retiring workforce with the best and most affordable talent. The important question to answer is how will companies take advantage of these trends like dessert-enthusiasts and entrepreneurs did of the cupcake?
Bakeries and restaurants are now serving up more pies; some in their very own pie shops. Like the pie, talent recruiting is finding a home on social media where companies like Proctor & Gamble, in addition to their careers website, are using Facebook to connect potential candidates through the P&G Experience page. Additionally, PepsiCo’s Twitter feed, @PepsiCoJobs, interacts with potential candidates and shares career opportunities.
And then there’s the multi-generational workforce. We all know, more and more employees are holding off on retiring while younger generations are vying for new, professional opportunities. To take advantage of the current workforce, companies are finding innovative ways to engage all generations. Tripping, A Global Community of Travelers, instituted a board of college student advisers to provide new ideas when they were unable to hire new talent. On the other hand, companies like Dentco, an exterior services management firm, has looked to older, skilled workers to fill part time inspector positions in order to be closer to their clients.
Just as the cupcake falls behind the all-American pie, so the trends in human capital will change and evolve with the economy. The challenge is how to take advantage of those trends and innovate when the opportunities arise.