I hope you enjoyed this special mini-series on Talent and associated issues this week. With the talent crunch about to hit in a big way, we could all be losers in the talent war if we don’t start taking steps to make sure we have the talent we need in place when we need it. As Charles points out, this will require us taking a good look at our organization and ourselves and making sure that we’re ready to face the challenges ahead.

To wrap up the week, I thought I’d share some highlights from Purchasing.com’s Special Report on Procurement Professional Development, since they took great care in timing their report to more-or-less coincide with Sourcing Innovation’s Talent 2008.

In How to Build the Procurement Dream Team, Purchasing notes that building the procurement dream team doesn’t happen overnight, it starts in the minor leagues by recruiting the best interns and ensuring that they have meaningful experiences to encourage the next crop of top interns to take a chance on your company. It requires you to benchmark and review your organizational capabilities, to understand what competencies you have in house, and what skills you need to bring in. Furthermore, attracting talent will require more than just a job description – it will require the organization to clearly outline its priorities and give candidates as much feedback as possible. Then, once you bring your new talent in, you will need to make sure they stay up to date on the latest best practices through regular training.

In Got a Procurement Job Interview? Here’s What NOT To Do, Purchasing outlined some big don’ts that you should probably avoid in an interview.

• Prominently placing your cell-phone on the table
  (as this can give the impression you’re more important than the interviewer)
• Rummaging through a folder
  – of projects you are currently working on –
  to answer a question
  (as it looks like you are disorganized and don’t take care in protecting confidential information)
• Swearing in the interview
  (it may be deemed to show a lack of control and will offend the religious)
• Supply-Chain Buzzword Mania
  (chances are your interviewer is not holding a supply-chain buzzword bingo card and will not appreciate it)
• Telling the interviewer you’re not looking for a job
• Telling an interviewer you know a test inside out
  because you had to take it three times …
  and then telling the interviewer you failed all three times
• Inappropriate attire
  (especially if you show up to Coke wearing a Pepsi hat!)