We know that being in the wrong job can have significant impacts, both to the individual as well as to the organization.LDProd
Back to school is a perfect time to think about development – not only for those returning to a traditionally defined educational institution, but also for all of us lifelong learners.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” was one of the first questions my teachers asked at the beginning of each school year, to get to know their new crop of students. Answers to this question provided insights into what made each of us tick – what interested us, who we admired, what we enjoyed learning about and from a very early age, what we thought we were good at.
It would be interesting to compare kindergartners’ answers in the eighties with what they actually “grew up” to do. I, for one, wanted to be a dentist and then an orthodontist but ended up on a very different career trajectory.
As we prepare our current and future work force for this new world of work, does this question now become irrelevant? Or, is it a question we should continue asking well beyond traditional “school years," and in fact, never stop asking?
As we continue to evolve because of a need to stay relevant (e.g. because of automation) and/or because of evolving interests (e.g. new industries and roles emerging), it is important to continue to explore the essence of “what we want to be when we grow up." What drives us? What are we passionate about? Where can we add the most value and be most successful? And give ourselves permission to change our minds over time.
We are beginning to see a shift in how corporations view career switchers and job hoppers – from “individuals who can’t commit or hold down a job” to “individuals who are building a wide array of skills and experiences required for this new world of work."
Why, then, according to Career Spark, a technology company specializing in success-based matching, are 70 per cent of people in the wrong jobs? That’s 125 million people in North America alone!
While this is an astonishing number, if you think about how people end up in the roles they are in, it’s not all that surprising. When the current generations of workers were growing up, we chose a major in university and then a path from which we were not encouraged to deviate.
Plus, considering historical biases in recruitment and talent management practices, individuals have been put into roles because, for example, a leader “liked” them or they’ve been pigeon-holed early in their careers.
We know that being in the wrong job can have significant impacts, both to the individual as well as to the organization: According to the U.S. Department of Labour, the price of a bad hire is at least 30 per cent of the employee’s first year earnings – so shouldn’t we demand that more than 30 per cent of our work force be in the right job?
Companies are progressively deploying solutions to help close this gap. For example, through Career Spark’s Success-Based Matching technology, companies can more accurately and quickly match the right people to the right jobs, using data that already exist within the company. Their artificial-intelligence platform helps match the right people (defined by what they do – results delivered, skills, experience, feedback – and who they are – strengths and weaknesses, preferences, motivation, values) to the right jobs based on attributes of top performers in that specific company.
The key is that as lifelong learners, we will all be challenged to learn, evolve and build new skills over time. The question will become more “what do you want to be – for now," which requires schools, organizations and individuals to adapt significantly. What’s best for an individual and an organization at a point in time can change rather quickly, so it will be important to leverage data and technology as a regular part of talent processes, and be open to and nimble about creative talent strategies (including training and moving staff from one function to another).
You never know. With some focus and a commitment to learning, perhaps I still can be an orthodontist when I grow up!
For chief human resources officers interested in the topic of “reskilling," please visit futurefoHRward.com and join us at our third annual conference in Toronto on Oct. 3.
Naomi Titleman Colla is founder and principal of Collaborativity Leadership Advisory.
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