The first quarter of 2022 has come to a close and recruitment remains one of the top challenges for HR leaders. Despite increases in pay, flexibility and perks, hiring new candidates is still a tough nut to crack. With so many businesses competing for talent, pay and perks are not enough.
As reported by CNBC, 44% of employees are “job seekers,” according to Willis Towers Watson’s 2022 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey, and nearly 4.3 million people quit their jobs in January, according to most recent federal data. Almost 48 million people quit in 2021 – an annual record.
Professional development – an opportunity for upskilling and future advancement – seems to be what interests employees the most.
According to an article from SHRM, “Organizations have also announced they are making big investments in workers’ professional development, with the idea that employers can offer their front-line workers something truly meaningful: a brighter future through upskilling and an internal career path, or a debt-free college education.
Walmart is investing nearly $1 billion over the next five years in career training and development. Other large employers of hourly workers, including Amazon, Chipotle, Starbucks and Target, have announced enhancements to their tuition and training programs.”
Here are a few ways to engage candidates with professional development:
- Be clear about goals. Whether you are talking with a prospective candidate or an existing employee, have a conversation about their goals. What are their interests? Are there skills they want to develop? Do they have a future role in mind? Not only will this help hiring managers understand how to support their potential recruit, it demonstrates genuine interest and opportunity for the candidate.
- Culture alignment. When offering benefits such as college tuition, certifications or other skill development opportunities, hiring managers need to ensure that employees are supported effectively. There has to be a culture that embraces education and professional development and not something that is a benefit to be done on the employee’s own time. Employers must recognize the value skill growth will bring to their business.
- Continually adapt. Don’t assume what is working today will work tomorrow. Take regular pulse checks of employees to understand barriers they might have with their jobs or changes they are seeing that require new skills or tools to be successful.
While recruitment during the Great Resignation and War on Talent seems hopeless at times, understanding the needs and challenges of existing employees can inform new ways to approach recruitment. It’s also a great way to improve engagement to drive employee retention!
Contact us today to learn more about our modern approach to performance management and development that actually improves the manager and employee relationship. Don’t just take our word for it, see what our Customers have to say.
