The end of the CV has been announced many times before and there are indeed organizations that no longer ask for an overview of diplomas and work experience. They focus on the skills, mindset and potential of candidates. Nevertheless, the curriculum vitae remains the most important means for many HR departments to make an initial selection of candidates. But now that the demand for talent continues to increase and the talent pool is drying up, the question is how long this way of working can be maintained.
The time seems ripe to make learning part of the recruitment strategy and to focus on a candidate’s future potential, instead of the proven past.
Findings from various labour market experts show that employers are often quite critical in their search for employees. In particular, lack of skills or ageing are reasons not to invite available candidates. Even though these potential employees would like to continue to develop, self-employment is one of the requirements that plays a major role in the search for a new job. The time seems therefore ripe to make learning part of the recruitment strategy and to focus on a candidate’s future potential, instead of the proven past. But how do you ensure an ideal interaction between recruitment and learning? The following three steps can help.
1. Provide training and education opportunities
It is important for employees to have access to learning content. According to research by PwC, 77% of respondents indicate that they want to learn new skills or up-skill to be better prepared for the future of work. Organisations that provide these training and education opportunities are one step ahead of other employers.
If you want to remain attractive as an employer for the future generation of employees, you cannot avoid offering training and development opportunities.
In particular, the younger generations attach great value to the opportunity to further develop themselves based on their personal interests. In fact, personal development is number one when it comes to what millennials find truly important in their work. If you want to remain attractive as an employer for the future generation of employees, you cannot avoid offering training and development opportunities.
2. Provide internal career opportunities
But offering training alone is not enough, there must also be opportunities to put what has been learned into practice. By offering internal growth opportunities, potential talent is offered perspectives to develop further within the organisation. There is more to achieve than the maturity of the current position.
By having a clear focus on internal mobility, employee retention will also remain higher. Perspective is offered within the organisation that extends beyond the current position. A big advantage, because the youngest generation of employees is known for always looking outward: a job for life no longer exists and you gain personal growth by changing jobs and companies. With the right perspective, that is no longer necessary.
3. Make skills leading in recruitment
When the above two steps have been taken, the third step is almost done. But to become completely skills-driven, it is necessary to move away from an organisational structure in which career paths are set in stone. Think, for example, of the development from junior employee via employee to junior manager and senior manager. An organisation in which the division of roles is based on interests, expertise and availability provides a workplace with many different opportunities to gain experience and new skills.
Teams are no longer composed of the usual suspects with a specific job description. But employees with talent and appropriate interests are linked to projects to form the best team.
Companies need a different mindset when they start focusing on skills. For example, teams are no longer composed of the usual suspects with a specific job description. But employees with talent and appropriate interests are linked to projects to form the best team. By placing skills and competences at the heart of a learning & development strategy. And by extension in the recruitment approach. Instead of focusing on obtaining certain diplomas or certificates, the individual development of employees becomes the guideline for success.
Want to learn more?
This article was written in collaboration with Cornerstone. Would you like to know more about how learning can become part of a successful recruitment strategy? Download Cornerstone’s ‘Five Ways to Attract the Best Talent e-book’.
