Job Descriptions Are Played Out
To Keep Your Best Talent, Consider This.
The Gameboy Color.
The Nintendo 64.
VHS Tapes!
What do they all have in common?
They’re nostalgic reminders of the late 80’s & 90's.
These timeless artifacts are just that….TIMELESS!
But some things should change with time.
Like job descriptions, and how companies think about finding and keeping their best talent.
Last week I attended the URx Conference in SF.
This 2-day conference revolved around University Recruiting, how rapidly the talent market is changing, and much more!
Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a candidate actively applying for jobs, you’ll learn something from this post.
Sit back and let me put you on game. 😎
So what are companies doing differently in the 21st century to win the race in recruiting the best talent?
Create Community | Build Your Squads
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” — Rob Siltanen
Weeks ago, I spoke about how important it is to work with a strong team.
Working with the best people and best partners, can lead to the best results!
But with so much talent out there, how can companies find the best people?
One word…
PARTNERSHIPS.
Especially if you’re focused on the diversity of your team.
Partnering with Bootcamps, Community Colleges and and local Non-Profits can help companies find hidden gems. 💎
Take Reddit for example, they just partnered with Hackbright Academy to provide $150K in scholarships!
Hackbright Academy is an All Woman’s Coding Bootcamp that’s focused on increasing the representation of female engineers!
Reddit has already hired numerous Hackbright grads, and this scholarship allows them to provide even more women the opportunity to break into tech.
Finding it hard to recruit more female engineers? Consider creating a strategic partnership.
The best companies aren’t waiting for diverse talent to just show up on their careers page.
Even if you don’t break out your checkbook like Reddit, you can still partner by volunteering or hosting lightning talks with local organizations that share your values.
I’ve personally experimented with this myself.
In February I collaborated with Eventbrite to host a an Office Tour/Demo Day Mixer.
In addition to touring their office, 12 Dev Bootcamp grads had the opportunity to demo projects they created with the Eventbrite API!
Like this one: BarHopping101
From by good friend Edgar Barajas.
Using geo-location it not only finds dope events for you, it’ll tell you how much your Lyft would cost to get there!
The talent is out here.
Companies just need to engage more!
Think of the talent race like dating.
The best people aren’t magically going to find your company.
And what better way to find talent than to interact with it?!?!
If companies want to stay relevant in the talent race, they need to start building community TODAY!
Don’t wait for a budget.
Don’t wait for an approval.
Go out and interact with the diversity you wish to recruit.
There’s no pipeline issue.
For some companies, it’s really just an engagement issue.
So get out there and ENGAGE!
Be Colorful & Authentic
Once companies have committed to engaging with talent, they must do so authentically.
Liz Wessel taught me that. She’s the Co-Founder and CEO of WayUp.
WayUp is a platform where millions of early-career professionals explore opportunities, receive advice, and get discovered by employers.
Her talk was simple, actionable, and she cut through the BS.
She showed that companies CAN DO better recruiting.
And without spending a dime!
But it start’s with authenticity.
Liz shared a great example of how two companies value Mother’s Day.
First we have Paypal…
Then we have Salesforce…
If you’re a working mother, what inspires you more?
The stock photo, or the happy mom 😃
Exactly.
This cost Salesforce NOTHING.
Just a well thought out way to show their employees they appreciated them.
This is such a simple shift that can reap huge benefits.
Uplift your current employees and community.
And whatever you do, don’t post the first stock photo you find when you Google “Diversity” or Mother’s Day”.
Don’t be that company.
Don’t be Paypal.
Be Salesforce.
Employees Value Entrepreneurship.
Let Them Flex! Don’t Skip This Part.
Liz also shared a statistic that I loved. One that will force companies to think differently about how to support their best talent.
55% of Gen Z want to start their own businesses!
This number for Millenials was in the same ballpark.
What does all this mean?
It means that companies will have to adapt and find ways to support their employee’s entrepreneurial spirit.
Because these days, most people have some sort of side hustle.
And we all want to make an impact with our work.
Companies can tap into this entrepreneurial prowess by providing a platform.
A space to create things, break things and to make a difference.
Consider hosting more HACKATHONS to create space.
Hackathons are a low cost way to get talent to think about how to improve a product/service.
This goes the same for a company’s existing employees.
Hosting internal Hackathons are can be a game changer.
Take Strava for example.
Every 3 months they have “work on whatever you want to” days (also known as Jams). Everyone gets to run wild with any idea they might have had and bring it to life.
Some of these ideas even get implemented into the product!
The companies that retain the best talent will tap into their employee’s entrepreneurial spirit, not stifle it.
Give your talent space to build and flourish.
They’ll surprise you.
Create Talent, Don’t Just Consume It
Having lived and worked in the Bay Area for almost 2 years now…
I’ve coached 300+ software engineers.
I’ve also seen hundreds of engineers change jobs.
Some of the career changes I’ve seen have been engineers leaving one tech behemoth then going to another one.
From Facebook, to Google, to Amazon, etc.
It’s as if these engineers are playing musical chairs! Jumping from one company to the next.
Instead of hiring talent that leaves in 6 months, consider investing in the growth of junior talent as a way to retain folks long term.
Consider LAUNCHING AN APPRENTICESHIP!
Apprenticeships can bridge the diversity gap and build the next wave of technologists that are more likely to stay at your company.
There’s already evidence of the popularity and success of the apprenticeship model.
Companies like Pinterest, Microsoft, Twilio and many more, are using this model as a long term investment in spearheading their diversity & talent efforts.
Take LinkedIn for example..
They launched the LinkedIn REACH program and in 2017 they on-boarded 29 software engineering apprentices.
The REACH program resulted in 80% of Apprentices becoming Full-Time Software Engineers!
Because of programs like these, I’m excited to see what the next generation of diverse technologists builds.
Remember: Build community, Be authentic, Be proactive. ✊
Final food for thought 🤔 ☝️ 💡…
What companies do you think are winning the talent race?
What companies are the best at branding and employee development?
Share in the comments 👇
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