Fifty years ago, the job market was a very different place. Many people left education to take a position that they would stay in for most of their careers – it was a job for life.
Today’s working world is changing rapidly with recent research finding that the average time spent in any one role is now just 4.6 years. Looking for the right person for the job can sometimes be contradictory when you want to encourage employees to commit to your business. Find the right person to fit your company culture and approach, and it will be more beneficial in the long run. Here’s how:
1. Look past the experience on the CV
There are predominantly two kinds of attributes most employers are looking for – soft skills like leadership, teamwork and communication, and those learned on the job, like technical know-how and problem solving.
For some, soft skills come naturally and the development of their career comes from building knowledge of the company and the job role. Others might have the qualifications and experience from a previous role but have never managed people, had to communicate with a team or led on a project before.
Ensure you look past the CV. If they take an active lead role in a social activity – such as managing a sports team – they might be a great leader. Even if they are involved in the PTA at school, they could actually be a whizzkid at budgets.
2. Find out what they are interested in outside of work
Many large companies use a social learning platform within the workplace where their employees can share experiences and knowledge generated both inside and outside of work.
Although previously out-of-work pursuits might have been seen as irrelevant to working life, finding out what someone is interested in can bring a new skill base to your company. For example, many graduates are a dab hand at social media, au fait with blogging, or able to understand and write computer code. Part of their role could be a social media ambassador using these skills.
3. Don’t be put off by experience that isn’t within your industry
At first glance, most employers automatically look at previous experience, dismissing everything that is not relevant. However, sometimes the best people bring something different, learned from different industries.
At Brightwave we have a perfect example of this. Caroline Freeman, our head of learning design, started her career in television as a producer. That job included many skills that were specific to broadcasting, but fundamentally her role was to create great stories for her audience. We recognised this and realised that our goal was to create a journey, or a story, for learners using our system.
4. Look at industries that are in decline for great talent
Certain sectors have seen very high staff turnovers, with industries like retail averaging 50% of its annual workforce changing year on year. Many working on the shop floor have honed their customer-service skills over the years. How easy would it be to apply this customer experience in another industry within a customer call centre or answering customer queries through social media accounts?
Identifying the skills that can be transferred from previous roles could boost staff morale and save jobs and costs.
Caroline Walmsley is the CEO of Brightwave, which provides online learning solutions
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