Annual Survey Reveals Employer Expectations of Candidates Remain High; Dedication to Talent Development Lukewarm
22 February 2017 - 2:06AM
Business Wire
The Career Advisory Board, established by DeVry University,
today announced the results of its sixth annual Job Preparedness
Indicator. This year’s study of 500 U.S.-based, senior-level hiring
managers explored how organizations are developing the necessary
skills and competencies in their workforce, as well as their level
of commitment to strategic talent development and management. The
findings: hiring managers are lukewarm about how effective their
organizations are at talent management and competency development.
In fact, only 13 percent of respondents believe their talent
development initiatives are very well-aligned with their overall
business strategy.
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In order to ensure employees are adequately trained to do their
jobs, 80 percent of respondents rely on on-the-job training,
one-third use formal mentorships and nearly two-thirds leverage
one-off online or in-person learning programs. However, only 11
percent reported their efforts help in providing employees with the
skills they need to be successful.
Surprisingly, respondents shared they feel their organizations
are weak when it comes to tracking the return on investment (ROI)
of talent development initiatives, with only three out of 10
reporting they do it a fair amount or a great deal.
At the same time, however, hiring manager expectations for job
candidates remain high across all levels of employment. Less than
half of the survey respondents (44 percent) agreed the majority of
candidates have the right skills to fill open positions. They
reportedly interview, on average, six candidates for every job;
with one-third interviewing more than six.
Other Key Findings in the 2016 Job
Preparedness Indicator
Emphasis on Formal Education
Promising
- Hiring managers still prize formal
education, with 79 percent valuing a job candidate’s degree
completion and 82 percent for an employee’s degree completion.
- Hiring managers are also more open to
exploring relationships with educational institutions. The survey
found a third (37 percent) want to partner with schools to build a
local talent pipeline, nearly one-quarter want to work alongside
schools to develop better candidate competencies and approximately
30 percent still turn mostly to schools to supply intern and
entry-level talent.
Advice For Job Seekers
- Review job descriptions
carefully. Knowing hiring managers meet with six candidates on
average to find someone with every qualification on their list, you
need to come across as demonstrating as many of those traits as
possible. Every trait in the job description should appear in some
form on your resume.
- Demonstrate flexibility. One of
the three most important critical skills identified by hiring
managers is adaptability, especially in a business world that’s
continually changing and evolving. Show a hiring manager, in both
the application materials and in the interview, that you are
accustomed to change and unpredictability. This trait is highly
differentiating at the entry level, and essential at the mid- and
senior-levels.
- Trust is king. For six
consecutive years, the Job Preparedness Indicator shows soft
skills, including accountability, integrity and work ethic, outrank
hard, job-specific skills. You must demonstrate during the
interview process that you can be trusted and are accountable.
Advice For Employers
- Leverage educators for recruitment,
retention and development. Whether you’re looking for
upskilling opportunities, qualified job candidates, or how to fully
develop the talent of current employees, partnering with the higher
education community can help you meet your business
objectives.
“While this year’s survey showed some inconsistencies around
professional development and organizational strategies, hiring
managers still look to formal educational attainment in both
candidates and employees,” said Alexandra Levit, chair of the
Career Advisory Board and business/workplace consultant. “Both job
candidate and current employees will need to seek out development
opportunities, in the short term, in order to get ahead in their
career.
“This also identifies an opportunity for employers to lean into
higher education partners to help develop and retain their most
valuable employees; not just to seek out new candidates,” added
Levit. “Many colleges and universities have programs and training
that can help businesses close the skills gaps with their
workforce.”
To read the research report and expert commentary, visit
www.careeradvisoryboard.org
About the Career Advisory Board
Established in 2010 by DeVry University, the Career Advisory
Board is comprised of leading representatives from business and
academia who deliver valuable insights on today’s most important
career trends and provide actionable advice for job seekers. The
Career Advisory Board generates original research and commentary,
and creates tools, insights and resources to prepare job seekers
for success. Its members include executives from DeVry University,
Google, Apple, HP, IBM, and LinkedIn, as well as nationally
recognized career experts. For more information, visit
CareerAdvisoryBoard.org.
Survey Methodology
The 2016 Job Preparedness Indicator research was conducted
online within the United States by DeVry University on behalf of
the Career Advisory Board in November 2016. Survey respondents
included 484 U.S.-based individuals (53 percent male, 47 percent
female) with full-time positions at the director-level or above, in
companies with more than 10 employees (mean company size was
moderately large at 8,500). Most frequently in the education,
financial services and healthcare industries, our respondents’
primary job responsibilities include management of staff (84
percent), hiring of new employees (67 percent), firing/laying off
of employees (55 percent), and HR management (30 percent).
Fifty-nine percent of respondents hire entry-level professionals,
80 percent hire mid-level professionals, and 37 percent hire
senior-level professionals/executives.
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DeVry UniversityAnne Ungeraunger@devry.edu630-353-7009
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