Chaitali Mukherjee and Julia Lamm, in a recent Strategy+Business online article (read it here) propose that traditional hiring methods will no longer work in the new environment we find ourselves in. We are aware of the challenges that the last few years have bought us, and that many people don't want to return to how everything used to be. Employee turnover has increased in many places as employees redefine what working conditions they prepared to accept.
Businesses are generally being proactive in trying to accommodate employees as much as possible with employers now thinking of employees not so much as workers but “as whole human beings, with their own individual purpose that the business itself needs to reflect and support.
For example, but the flexibility being sought by employees is about is less about rewards and office hours, and more about “alignment with longer term career aspirations, short term life goals, passions outside of work, and their sense of belonging. People are seeking employers whose purpose align with their own values. This impacts the recruitment processes in that the prospect is also assessing the organisation for a good fit and purpose. It is no longer a one-way process.
The authors of the article make a very important point when they note that “for today's employees, the point of a career path is not necessarily to climb a ladder with a particular end-state in mind but to gain experience and pursue the individual’s purpose.” Consequently, the organisation needs to recognise employees want to move “within and across, and even outside an organisation – not just up – to achieve their goals.”
A cookie cutter approach to recruitment will no longer provide the best hires. Organisations need to be more nuanced and personalized, taking into account the values of the individual.