The pandemic caused people to seriously consider their careers, and even as the health crisis ebbs and changes, they continue to leave the workplace. “Many are rethinking what work means to them, how they are valued, and how they spend their time,” explains Andrea Hsu, NPR’s labor and workplace correspondent.
More than ever before, workers are asking themselves what they really want to do, says New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon. They are contemplating whether they should stay at the same job or go in a different direction.
AI-powered talent intelligence tools can help people make these important career decisions by showing them their career possibilities going forward.
AI shows workers prospects for their future at work
People who are looking to make a change don’t often know where or how to start that journey. The options are nearly endless, and the starting point is rarely obvious. They tend to struggle to identify jobs or career paths that fit their skills and evolving expectations.
That’s where talent intelligence comes in. To zero in on a career path, employees need to be able to envision themselves in different roles. And they are increasingly relying on AI-based technology to scrutinize their skills to suggest new career paths that better use their abilities and meet their needs.
One critical asset to workers provided by talent intelligence is skills identification. When thinking about their careers, people often pigeonhole themselves because they inherently tend to underestimate their skills. According to Accenture’s Future Skills Pilot Report, while most people can self-report an average of 11 skills, AI can identify an average of 34.
Talent intelligence technology can then use that expanded set of identified skills to match workers to other roles that would be a good fit for them. This opens up doors to jobs workers wouldn’t have previously considered feasible career decisions.
AI enables businesses to expand job opportunities for workers
Employers play a big role in encouraging employees to chase the possibilities that lay before them in their careers.
At this moment in time, HR is going through an evolution in how to approach hiring, with the focus shifting to finding workers based on skills rather than their credentials. To locate the best candidates, hiring managers need to recognize that everyone will need lifelong training in their careers, so they should focus more on candidates’ potential than on their current resumes. In doing so, employers reveal opportunities that may be a better fit for both the employees and the organization.
“If we can move towards skills-based hiring, rather than defining an occupation by its job title, then we can help people identify the specific skills they have, or need to develop, in order to find productive and meaningful work,” says Dr. Marian-Andrei Rizoiu, senior lecturer in behavioral data science with the Data Science Institute at the University of Technology Sydney.
With AI-powered tools, employers can help connect employees to those positions.
Using data from employee profiles, skills, psychometric assessments, and historical data related to specific roles, talent intelligence can show people what could be next for their careers. Such tools can also identify any skills gaps workers may need to close to be successful in the new careers they choose, as well as the learning programs they need to participate in to reskill or upskill to meet the demands for new roles.
In short, AI takes the guesswork out of making career decisions by using data to help workers answer the question: “What’s next?”
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