Many Millennials are rejecting a linear career path in favour of building a portfolio of consulting, freelancing, contracting, entrepreneurial, and in-house employment experience. This opens the door for CEOs and HR directors to move towards a portfolio approach to employment that is a better fit for the fickle, dynamic, modern marketplace than the traditional employer-as-owner model.
Building a loyal, flexible, and multi-skilled internal and external talent network relies on relationship building, and digital technologies are essential for success.
From workforce planning to engagement, digitisation will improve every aspect of ensuring that your business always has the right people in the right place at the right time.
How to go digital
For optimum results, apply a strategic approach that moves your organisation away from reactive recruiting towards data-based talent acquisition. Use predictive modelling and big data analytics to highlight future marketplace changes and plan the workforce profile your business needs to maintain a competitive advantage at various stages of growth. Then devise a digitally-based, holistic talent management strategy that addresses how best to build and sustain a talent network made up of different engagement types and identifies gaps in your digital capabilities and resources.
From a standing start, this could be a daunting task; fortunately, the digital revolution that is driving marketplace change also provides tools to help with the challenges it is creating.
One area where digital transformation is moving apace is recruitment. Online career fairs and networking events help employers to form relationships with candidates before they enter the market. Meanwhile, specialised mobile phone apps, micro sites and networking platforms align with the ways many job seekers now prefer to find and apply for work. Pre-programmed software can analyse hundreds of applications to assemble a shortlist, and video interviewing maximises flexibility and efficiency for both parties. These new tools not only make it easier, quicker, and cheaper to find talent, they position your business as having the strong digital presence that appeals to the Millennials which make up the majority of today’s workforce.
Once a relationship is in place, it can be nurtured through private social networks and popular networking platforms and also by utilising digital learning and development tools such as e-learning portals, cloud learning, and virtual classrooms. These not only support engagement, collaboration and innovation, they demonstrate the kind of digital leadership that engenders loyalty.
The importance of vision
Today’s talent management extends beyond HR: managers at all levels make recruitment and development decisions and individuals can leverage their personal online networks to be recruiters. So it is vital that everyone understands the importance of a digital talent strategy, is provided with the necessary competencies, and empowered to create a digital culture.
None of this will be possible without forward thinking; visionary leadership that takes your whole organisation on the journey to digital excellence. If you can succeed, digital maturity will become part of your employer brand and be a major weapon in the war for talent.
