Companies across all industries are finding that attracting and retaining top talent is, or soon will be a struggle.
Some believe that talent is scarce, while others believe that talent acquisitions strategies are the issue. Whatever the shortcoming may be in finding talent, training could be the solution.
Creating a work atmosphere in which talented people can continue to grow and learn could be the key to attracting the talent you need.
Training: The anti-stagnation tool
Skilled workers look for companies in which they can grow. These workers are attracted to employer brands that are known for providing opportunities to develop. The type of talent that companies need to drive engagement and advancement is the type of talent that does not wish to remain stagnant in their profession, nor would you want them to.
According to consulting expert John Hagel,
If companies are truly serious about attracting, retaining, and developing high-quality talent, they need to view themselves as growth platforms for talent where people can develop themselves faster than they could elsewhere. This, in turn, can create a self-reinforcing cycle as talent creates more opportunities for growth.”
Embrace informal training
Aside from formal training programs, everyday learning takes place in the office. As employees interact on a daily basis, they are picking up bits of knowledge and experience from one another.
This type of training is accountable for most of the learning that occurs in any given organization. According to a 1996 U.S. Department of Labor estimate, informal learning is responsible for 70 percent of all learning in the workplace.
Most company leaders realize the importance of informal learning, but have done little in the way of facilitating it. Encouraging employee to interact and share knowledge can do wonders for employee engagement and the employer brand. Creating an environment conducive to informal training makes brand ambassadors out of your workforce.
Room and ability to grow
When companies offer ongoing training, their employees will naturally grow out of their positions.
This is a good thing. It is far less costly and time-consuming to hire or move internally than search for the right candidates, especially as we go up the professional ladder.
Driven candidates are attracted to companies in which they know that they will actually be encouraged to grow. Training that is aimed at advancement within the company is a win-win.
Employers are more likely to retain internal hires in their new positions, and candidates are attracted to companies at which upward mobility is facilitated.
Eliminate the entry-level frustration
Good candidates are often deterred by the “minimum two years experience” that seems to come standard on every job description now. When did companies stop training? Since when does entry-level actually mean, “An unexpected amount of experience required?” David Spark of Dice.com said,
It’s almost impossible to find an entry-level position that requires zero experience, and as a result, expectations have been raised too high for such openings.”
These are just a few of the ways that training can attract top talent.
Candidates and employees feel valued when companies offer them the opportunity to learn and grow.Valued employees are brand ambassadors, and that makes for a stellar employer brand. The talent that drives the growth of a company needs support and training; it is the concentric cycle of success.