Here is an excerpt from an article written by Mara Swan for Talent Management magazine. To check out all the resources and sign up for a free subscription to the TM and/or Chief Learning Officer magazines published by MedfiaTec, please click here.
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Many companies are surprised to learn that the skills they need already exist somewhere in their organization.
The fast pace of workplace change requires employees to rapidly adapt their skills to shifting expectations, or new roles, companies or industries. Therefore, to win in the new world of work, today’s talent must possess a flexible mindset, skills and competencies to guarantee their ongoing employability and potential.
Despite the evolution of organizational needs, recruiting processes have not advanced at the same rate. Recruiting, developing and engaging talent today require a radical rethink, and new methods and tools. Companies need to define roles not by detailed responsibilities, but by the outputs and outcomes needed to deliver against the business strategy. Job success profiles often can help talent leaders do this better than traditional job descriptions.
Job success profiles enable employers to map essential technical skills and employability competencies — traditionally known as soft skills — against expected outputs and outcomes. Employers should consider supplementing one-dimensional job descriptions with detailed requirements and a framework for how to succeed in a designated role.
Effective job success profiles do more than itemize responsibilities; they guide performance by mapping the mindsets, skills and core competencies required to deliver the desired outcomes. This allows for more effective recruiting of the right skills and matching for potential, as well as on-boarding and development, because the focus is on outcomes connected to business strategy versus a stagnant group of work duties attached to a specific job.
[Here is the first of seven strategies that the co-authors recommend.]
Employees also have a role to play. They must stay on top of the increasingly specialized skills companies require to remain attractive to employers in a demanding job market. To fine-tune skills development, job hunting and, ultimately, career-planning, individuals can create employability profiles to supplement resumes and continually update them to ensure their skills remain relevant in the external marketplace.
As a human sales tool, profiles can better communicate an individual’s value add. An effective employability profile should feature the critical skills and competencies employers seek and demonstrate the candidate’s potential to contribute successfully to a company’s overarching business goals. Demands will constantly evolve, and individuals must keep pace to ensure their skills, competencies and mindsets reflect the demands of the current workplace, and identify gaps they can take action to bridge.
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To read the complete article, please click here.
I highly recommend Arlene Johnson’s book, Success Mapping, now available in a second and revised edition.
Mara Swan is an executive vice president of global strategy and talent at ManpowerGroup, a workforce services company. She can be reached at her firm.