Organizations that want to compete for top talent must be able to provide job candidates and employees comprehensive career maps that not only show a path forward but also how to follow that path.
Employees are expecting more from their employers, explains Steve Lohr, technology and economics reporter for The New York Times. They are looking for jobs with brighter futures, and expect employers to show them a career path that gets them there, he writes.
The data from AI-powered talent management tools make it possible for hiring and talent management teams to meet these expectations, which aids organizations in recruiting and retaining high-quality talent.
Use historical data to develop broader career maps prior to hiring
Historical data enables HR teams to abandon the traditional structure of the corporate ladder and to build more flexible career maps before an employee is even hired based on how others have moved around in the organization.
“Companies are starting to analyze the myriad ways people have advanced to highlight different pathways employees might pursue,” write Matthew Bidwell and Federica De Stefano, an associate professor of management in The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and an assistant professor of management and HR at HEC Paris, respectively.
They are incorporating data regarding employee career decisions as well as the skills and competencies needed for each role to identify possible career paths for future employees, note Bidwell and De Stefano. “Analytics is being used to uncover options for advancement and growth that are not defined by formal organization charts but instead emerge from the decentralized decisions of employees and hiring managers as they craft careers within the organization.”
Organizations give themselves an advantage in the competition for talent by showing candidates these paths before they are hired so they can see which areas they will be able to move into once they’ve joined the company.
Capture all aspects of talent management to present comprehensive pathways
Talent intelligence also allows HR to integrate all areas of talent management into career maps.
Using AI, employees can create profiles that list their skills, experiences, education, and capabilities. HR teams can then use technology to match profiles to other jobs within the organization, which builds the foundation of a career map. From there, they can also show employees which skills are needed for each different role so employees can identify any gaps in skills or training. The software could then identify different courses the employees would need to take to close those gaps.
With talent intelligence tools, HR can take a more holistic approach to career mapping that gives employees a more complete picture of the paths they can take in their careers and the steps along the way for each.
Align mapping with workforce planning
Career mapping also has benefits for employers. While most organizations can’t say for certain what their workforce needs will be years from now, they can use predictive analytics capabilities of AI to anticipate the future, notes Sakshi Gupta, senior associate editor at online tech education platform Springboard. They can see multiple possibilities for the evolution of the workforce and what the talent requirements will be to fulfill related roles.
That information can then be used to build career maps that align with employees’ career goals and with organizational goals and workforce needs. This sets up both employees and employers for success as both parties are heading in the same direction.
Career mapping should not be an afterthought in employee recruiting and retention efforts. It should be a priority for organizations as a tool to gain a competitive advantage in talent management and build a workforce plan that sets the company up for success in the long run. AI-powered talent intelligence tools make it possible for HR teams to construct richer career maps to serve these purposes.
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