“Career progression” – What image comes to mind? I am guessing something along the lines of a ladder or staircase. That is what is portrayed in most stock photos or recruitment pages at least.
Take this for example, a standard stock photo. It seems that if you climb the ladder, you can eventually reach the top. But what about lateral progression? Or even a way out?
I challenge you today to rethink how career advancement or progression works. Especially if you are looking to attract and retain young talent in this age of speed, disruption and convenience.
Career ladders no longer excite the Millennials. Nowadays, spending decades waiting for promotion after promotion within a company is something people don’t have the time, patience and motivation for. Everything moves at such speed that it is no surprise why Millennials might desire to make an impact or progress quicker than their Babyboomer parents did. And they are not afraid to leave and start again if they are bored or feel misaligned with the company’s purpose or culture.
If you are an HR professional, here are some facts and figures you need to know:
- “Whether it is through multiple jobs or just one, all millennials want the same thing: to do work that really matters” –Corrine Keating
- Living in a world that is more connected than ever before has given this young generation a new hunger to improve not only their neighborhoods and cities, but the whole world.
- Everyone wants to feel like they are making a difference – simply working from paycheck to paycheck is not enough.
- They want to contribute to the world through their work, and they look for growth opportunities along the way, in whatever form they may take.
- Millennials are an age group constantly hunting for the greatest opportunity to learn, develop their talents, and make the world a better place.”
This was further reinforced by Aaron Levy, who said that
“Millennials view career development as more than just money and title. It’s not just about promotions but taking on new projects or learning new skills.”
- In a 2016 Gallup Report on “What Millennials Want from Work and Life,” 87% of Millennials said professional development was important to their job.
- This is the same for Generation Z, according to a recent survey by LaSalle Network, they also rate “opportunities to grow” as their number one priority.
- The 2018 Deloitte Millennial Survey states that 43% of Millennials and 61% of Gen Z expect to leave their company within 2 years. The time when people held on to their jobs with a vice grip – staying in companies for up to 20 years – is gone. Two-year stints have become the norm as millennials are confident in their ability to find jobs whether it is a result of choice or being laid off.
- If your company does not engage employees with a strong purpose or substantial growth opportunities, young employees might see no reason to stay when presented with a better opportunity elsewhere.
This week, get inspired on how to craft exciting career paths that employees actually want from the three articles compiled:
1. The Value of Enabling Employee Career Plans
Organizations need to maximize the development of their talent pool with robust career planning and development opportunities. Employees are the real source of value in any organization and it’s crucial to define and enable career growth and development – to show employees career pathways that work for them. But how can one use employee engagement as a route to creativity, collaboration and improved productivity and profits? Read more about how 10Eighty does it.
2. Internal Career Pathing: A New Selling Point for Recruiters – Why and How
Having an internal structure for career development isn’t just a retention tactic, but a recruiting selling point for attracting top candidates. Career development is different for everyone, especially in the modern age of work-experimentation. Flat hierarchies, project-based work, and the constant demand for new skills have caused us to rethink the traditional career ladder concept, but that doesn’t mean we’re throwing it all out the window. To better understand what has changed, and what hasn’t, we take a trip back to Hiring Success 18 EU, where HR experts share their experiences with employee advancement programs to identify four misconceptions about advancement:
3. Lessons I’m Learning as I Change Careers From Teaching to Writing
She decided to quit my full-time teaching position and make a career change. That eventually landed her an editorial fellowship with The Muse. Having zero experience working a desk job, let alone in the editorial world, Stephanie Nieves was worried about her transition and how she would adapt to all this change. But as she wraps up her six-month fellowship and reflects on her experience, she shares three valuable lessons learnt during this first leg of her career change: https://www.themuse.com/advice/lessons-learned-change-careers-from-teaching-to-editorial
4. Career Change: The Questions You Need to Ask Yourself Now | Laura Sheehan | TEDxHanoi
Having successfully navigated the challenges of finding employment in seven countries over the span of 15 years, Laura guides you through her journey and provides tips on how to find success wherever you are.
About Timeo-Performance
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- Timeo-Performance has been helping companies assess, build and develop teams and talents in APAC since 2008. We are Recruitment, Training and Business & HR Performance experts and our priority is to help you grow and succeed. We understand your culture, organization and objectives and deliver outstanding results crafted for you. We thrive to bring best practices, innovative and integrated solutions with our selected partners: Akteos (intercultural management), CrossKnowledge (digital learning) and more.
