Four out of five (80%) of pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities are struggling with skills mismatches.
Life sciences has some significant challenges at the moment. As Deloitte says, we’re going from doing digital to being digital. We have all these roles to fill that two years ago didn’t exist. We also know that in five years’ time, there will be more jobs to fill that we currently have no idea about.
So where do we find the people needed to fill these roles?
I spoke with Georgia Pink, an analyst and senior event producer at Hanson Wade, which curates the LEAP HR’s Life Sciences global conferences. We explored artificial intelligence, strategies for growth, employer branding, skills-based hiring, internal mobility, data analysis growing talent pools and being optimisitic about the future.
‘Talent Advisor’. ‘Strategic Partner’. ‘Talent Consultant’. Whatever title you want to give it, organizations are expecting recruiters to function in a different capacity than what has traditionally been the norm. Whereas, historically, the role of the recruiter had been to find, attract, and screen candidates as well as shepherd the interview process and negotiate offers, now they are expected to be ‘ambassadors of the brand’, bring ‘market insights’ to bear, and ‘amass talent pools in advance of need’.
In the talent-scarce world in which we must operate, I think this shift in recruiter accountabilities is positive and one which will give organizations moving in this direction an advantage in today’s competitive market for talent. That said, companies cannot simply drop these new responsibilities into the laps of their recruiters without addressing three critical elements which will enable the success of this new role.
Skill: As the titles suggest, these new accountabilities elevate the role of the recruiter from tactical to strategic. Organizations must determine the skills required for this new role and take inventory of the skill level of each of the recruiters on the current talent acquisition team to identify gaps. From there, the gaps need to be addressed through training, reallocation of resources, or replacement. Additionally, compensation may need to be considered as one might expect that this elevated role warrants an increase in pay.
Capacity: A mistake I see too many companies make is that these new responsibilities become additive to a recruiter’s existing workload. If a recruiter is expected to be 100% dedicated to ‘filling jobs’ and their performance is measured, in part, on this productivity, how can they possibly meet these goals if they are given additional, strategic responsibilities which reduces their capacity to ‘fill jobs’ to something less than 100%? Organizations must either find ways to open capacity to absorb new, strategic responsibilities (technology can help with this) or adjust the goals by which recruiters’ performance is measured.
Tools: In order for a recruiter to achieve success in this new role, s/he must be provided with the necessary tools to bring value. This is where technology plays a major part in enabling recruiters to showcase strategic capabilities. If the expectation is to ‘bring market insights to bear’, how can a recruiter do so without access to an analytics platform such as LinkedIn Insights, Gartner’s Talent Neuron, or Claro Analytics? If the business wants recruiters to build relationships with candidates to ‘amass talent in advance of need’ how can this be done well without a robust candidate relationship management (CRM) platform such as Avature, Phenom or Beamery? These are just two examples of technologies which will bring the ‘strategic recruiter ‘concept to life. More strategic accountabilities will require additional tools.
This change in the role of the recruiter represents a dynamic shift in the talent acquisition operating model. As recruiters take on these new responsibilities, adjustments to the roles of other elements of the model may need to be made. This is the future of the recruiter. Ensure you take the steps necessary to make these new ways of working successful.
Companies cannot simply drop these new responsibilities into the laps of their recruiters without addressing three critical elements which will enable the success of this new role.
Last week we officially launched our Talent Lab Associate Community. It offers the cohorts that have been through our skilling programs access to continual development, networking and support. Not just as they start their new roles but as they continue to grow in their careers.
In this video we reflect on some of the journeys that our associates have had, along with their thoughts on what attracted them to AMS Talent Lab and how they have found the experience.
AMS Talent Lab continues to grow in size and diversity.
If you’re looking for a truly ethical partner to help you create the right talent to fill your skills gaps, please reach out to us at [email protected].
For further information on how to become an associate email [email protected].
We look forward to hearing from you!
As the world of work and hiring landscape changes at rapid pace, the one thing that we know to be true is that finding untapped talent, who can be trained, supported, and nurtured into ever-increasing skills gaps is critical for organisations to succeed.
AMS Talent Lab is doing just that, offering opportunity based on potential and aptitude, not previous experience. Our ethical skilling practices create talent for our clients and give our Talent Lab Associates the opportunity and support to thrive and ultimately reach their full potential.
The Talent Lab journey goes from strength to strength with the latest milestone being our Talent Lab Associate Community which we are officially launching today. It offers cohorts access to continual development, networking and support after they start their new roles and as they continue to grow in their careers.
We are immensely proud of each and every one of our cohorts, who come from diverse backgrounds and, through the training and support of AMS Talent Lab, have been able to realise their dreams of working in their now careers.
If your organisation is looking for a truly ethical skilling partner to fill their skill gaps, please reach out to us on [email protected]. Or, if you’re interested in becoming an associate, you can email [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
Are we ready to live to 100? As a mother of two Gen Zers, I wonder what the implications of a longer life will be for them. Recent research tells us that Gen Zs want to retire early (or certainly earlier than their parents), but they are also expect to live longer than their parents, in fact living to 100 or beyond will more likely be attainable. Put that in the mix with a work-life balance, and there are so many considerations, not least of all affordability. We also know that non-linear careers are going to become the norm, individuals choosing to study, and reskill later in life, taking sabbaticals, and then returning to the workplace. Are hiring managers really ready to embrace applicants that haven’t followed the traditional 3 stage career (education, work, retirement)? Some interesting themes emerge from Lynda Gratton’s interview.
London Business School professor Lynda Gratton believes living longer requires individuals and corporations to change their approach to careers, life transitions, and retirement.
The Women in Tech & Business Expo is just around the corner, and we couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to shed light on a pressing issue. By 2025, the gender gap in tech is projected to leave only one qualified female for every 128 tech roles globally. The challenge is undeniable, but so is the potential for positive change.
At our upcoming keynote session, Michelle Hainsworth will delve into how businesses can address this alarming gender gap. Inclusivity is not just a buzzword; it’s a powerful driver of innovation and success. We’ll explore how diverse teams, composed of individuals with varying backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, lead to more creative solutions and better outcomes.
The future of gender equality in tech starts with nurturing young talent. We’ll discuss the importance of supporting STEM education for girls and initiatives that encourage them to pursue tech careers. We’ll also be talking to one of our Talent Lab Associates who has trained as a python developer and is now working with the ONS.
Join us at the Women in Tech & Business Expo.
We invite you to join us at the Women in Tech & Business Expo. Let’s explore how together we can break down the barriers, create opportunities, and foster an environment where everyone has an equal chance to shine in the tech world.
The gender gap in tech may seem daunting, but it’s a challenge that we can overcome with dedication and a commitment to change. See you at the expo, where we’ll take the first step towards a more inclusive future! #WomenInTechExpo #DiversityInTech #InclusiveFuture 🚀💼
The way we work is changing.
Technology is having a profound impact on people’s jobs, and the skills gap is widening. Each day, new job roles are being created at speed to meet the demands of tomorrow. But with a shrinking working population and scarcity of global talent, businesses know there’s a need to shift their thinking.
Recruiters are turning their back on traditional ways of hiring based on experience and job qualifications to a skills-based approach to hiring, providing greater flexibility and potential. But while many have jumped on the bandwagon, very little are truly reaping the benefits.
In a recent webinar event, AMS colleagues Nicole Brender A Brandis, Head of Strategy Consulting, and Annie Hammer, Head of Technology and Analytics Advisory spoke to some of the world’s leading businesses to find out where they were on the skills-based journey, as well as discussing practical steps on how to make this new approach a success.
Here are the key takeaways.
The current outlook Businesses are currently sitting on the fence when it comes to future skills. In a live survey, we asked our attendees if they felt they had the skills they need to succeed in the new world of work. Almost 60% said they didn’t.
68% of respondents had started the skills-based journey, but 50% were in the early stages and nobody had got it right yet. And that’s not surprising. Businesses have realized that they don’t have enough workers, with skills that are future fit. So, adopting a skill-based solution makes sense. But implementing it successfully is another matter.
It starts with clear objectives Before you jump into the solutions, it’s imperative to tie down the business objectives. No two organizations are the same, so each one will have different reasons why a skills-based hiring approach could work for them. Questions businesses need to ask are, for example, ‘how will it accomplish better talent agility or mobility across the business?’ Or ‘how will it help utilize internal resources?’ Getting the answers to these questions at the start will give you the platform to deliver a solution that’s right for your business.
Think small As the saying goes, ‘don’t run before you can walk’. When it comes to a skills-based approach, some businesses get over-excited and try to implement change across the whole organization. Inevitably, this leads to a breakdown. The path towards a skills-based approach is not a Big Bang type of change. It takes time, and small steps can make all the difference.
For example, you could start with a single test group whose jobs have things in common. You’ll find there’s a significant amount of overlap at the skill level within those defined jobs. Then, boil it down to the key skills needed to be able to deliver the work.
Quick wins are so important when delivering something so new and complex.
Engage with the wider business It’s vital for everyone to work together and look at the skills that are needed today, that may need to change for tomorrow. One example mentioned during the session was literacy. In the future, it’s not going to mean ‘can you read and write?’, it’s going to means, ‘can you learn, re-learn and unlearn?’. And to do that, everyone must work closely together to understand how those deficits and reskilling need to happen.
Think cross-functional When you’re rolling out a radical new way of working, you need buy-in from everyone. Currently, in many businesses, this new approach starts with the Talent Management leader.
There’s a role for TA teams to start helping HR departments to think broadly across HR, as well as the business as a whole, to see how it will change the way that people work. It’s about continually thinking cross-functionally while you’re making the move to a skills-based model.
Evaluate success For a new initiative to gain momentum, it requires a well-structured approach to evaluating success.
Organizations need to make sure that they understand how they’re going to define success, and how to communicate it. By showing the results and outcomes in clear way, it will ensure the new approach continues to gain support, building momentum so it becomes a larger program.
Lean on technology The key to delivering this new skills-based approach are technologies.
AI, for example, is being used to skills-match candidates for shortlisting. But it can go much deeper. It can also uncover adjacent or relevant skills that are not clearly stated on a profile, as well as bring together information about a certain candidate from numerous online sources.
Technology helps with conversations, too. It can guide recruiters on what questions they should be asking – reducing the admin burden, so they can spend more time building relationships.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Technology is playing a key role in helping businesses realize the potential of a skills-based approach for their future employment.
To learn more about skills-based hiring and what it can do for your business, watch the full webinar session, Skills-based Organizations and the Future of Talent Acquisition, here.
Alternatively, if you would like to have a conversation about how to progress skills-based hiring in your organization, please do get in touch.
With the global economy experiencing massive changes, more and more businesses are looking at new ways of working. One of the key things is in the way they recruit. Instead of the traditional job title approach, organisations are now adopting a skill-based approach.
The way we work is changing
According to a Deloitte survey, 83% of CEOs believe that the current way of work is defined outside of traditional team structures. While prior attempts to define job description may have centered around identifying the skills of a particular individual and fitting them in a box, there is increasing ambiguity as it becomes more challenging to identify the exact skills required for a certain job role.
This is increasing the importance of a skills-based approach, as the half-life of skills continues to shrink. In 2017, before COVID, the half-life of skills used to be 10 years. From a digital skills perspective, this is now much lower, especially with the emergence of more specialised skills. The longevity of technical digital skills now is as low as 2.5 years, which means there is a constant evolution of skills.
What is a skill-based business?
In simple terms, instead of work being organised by jobs with clearly defined accountabilities, skill-based businesses deliver work by portfolio, enabling greater agility. But it is a massive step, and no business is truly delivering skill-based across all its business. Some of the practices businesses are experimenting with are creating an internal skill-based marketplace, doing skills-based hiring and talent pooling, and producing skills-based workforce planning.
Some businesses are even looking at applying a skill-based approach to the way they pay their employees. Here, pay is assessed by a combination of the work performed, how well it was delivered, the outcomes achieved, and skills needed.
Adjusting to evolving skills taxonomy requires mindset change
As organisations continue to bridge the gap between the skills required to do a job and the skills employees have, talent acquisition teams have an important role to play in attracting and retaining the best talent.
A good example would be relationship managers in retail banking, whose traditional work remit was to attend to and convert walk-in customers. With prevalence of Internet Banking today, these relationship managers now need to be able to work with data and analytics, as well as be digitally savvy and customer focused.
Unilever is a case in point. They have started to work with a collection of skills, as opposed to simply focusing on job titles. In certain businesses at Unilever, employees spends half of their time in their work department and the other half working in cross-cultural teams, or tribes. This kind of approach is heralding the trend of organisational cross-skilling.
Organisations need to look at how work is being done and they need to think about how the work is being delivered. Is it in a siloed way, in a department-by-department way, or in a task versus project way? Businesses also need to understand how decisions are made. Organisations that are moving towards more agile functioning are giving more and more empowerment to project teams.
Delivering a skill-based approach successfully
So how is this done? How do talent acquisition leaders adopt a skill-based hiring approach that will work for their business? Here are some ways this can be done:
Reconstruct job descriptions – Change job descriptions and jobs adverts to highlight skills and capabilities over experience and education
Maximise technology – Use AI-driven technologies for skills-matching, candidate identification and shortlisting
Adjust assessments – Amplify skills in assessments and interviewing methods
Rethink talent pools – Create skills-based talent pools instead of job based
Look for adjacent skills – Source and screen based on skills, and train talent acquisition teams to look for adjacent skills.
Choose a partner that can deliver
Embarking on a skills-based hiring journey can be a considerable step change for any business. So, choosing the right partner, one that can design a skill-based hiring roadmap, understanding what is already in place, and how skills-based approaches are already embedded in other HR practices – is key.
At AMS we are continuing to empower organisations to look at talent holistically. We help them think through their TA operating model and how they can partner with the business and across HR to implement a skills-based approach. Or we can manage the entire talent acquisition process, providing overarching visibility across departments.
We also build specialist teams that take on workplace planning and help businesses fill skill gaps by either redesigning jobs or reskilling.
While technology is a big enabler, no technology is going to work well in the absence of human touch. To ensure talent acquisition teams can successfully transition towards a skills-based approach, we have experts who can support their journey by helping them choose the right technology and implementing it effectively.
This article first appeared on the website of HRM Asia.
It has long been known and written about that in order to thrive, we need to rewire the global economy (Rewiring the economy, CISL (2015)), and we often hear that not enough progress is being made. Despite this, we see the vast majority of our clients at AMS truly embracing the topic of sustainability and setting themselves very challenging targets. Within one click (or less!) on a corporate website you will find information around sustainability targets (and it you don’t, then the likelihood is that you soon will). It is encouraging to see this and heartening to know that sustainability is clearly a top-table agenda point in every organisation that wants to thrive in the future. However, at the heart of achieving these sustainability ambitions is the approach organisations take to attracting, retaining and developing the right talent.
I was excited to read the ‘Green skills report’, recently published by one of our strategic partners, LinkedIn. This report confirms that there is significant evidence emerging that ‘green skills’ are becoming much more prevalent globally, and consequently the talent pools of ready-to-hire talent for green jobs are increasing in size. In every one of the 48 Countries studied, the share of workers who hold a green job or list at least one green skill on their LinkedIn profile is growing, and approximately 1 in 8 workers globally have green skills today. The data shows that over the period 2018-2023 the share of green talent grew by 5.4%.
The above statistics are encouraging, but despite the share of green talent in the workforce growing by a median of 12.3%, the share of job postings requiring at least one green skill rose by 22.4% (between 2022 and 2023). Simply put, demand is outstripping supply…. which as we all know, will lead to wage inflation, and even more challenges. We need to think of ways to mitigate these challenges, which means we need to ‘rewire the global talent market’. This is where a skills-based approach to hiring comes in. I firmly believe that of all the sectors in the global economy, it is the green sector that is set to benefit most from a skills-based hiring approach. The skills-based hiring approach, which concentrates wholly on skills and adjacent/transferable skills and not previous job title and credentials will inevitably lead to more candidates being considered for roles that they were previously excluded from, and in the case of the green economy this could result in amazing benefits for society and our future world!
I’ll be providing further thought on some of these topics throughout the rest of this year, but if there is any call to action from this 2 minute read it would be for:
Candidates to update their LinkedIn profiles with the ‘Green skills’ they have, and
Recruiters to search for ‘green skills’, rather than previous experience and job titles, when looking to fill jobs that require them.
If you are struggling to fill the roles that will help you achieve your ambitious sustainability targets because of the shortage of ‘green skills’, please reach out. At AMS, we believe being a responsible business is good business and we would be delighted to support other businesses with the same approach.
"Of all the sectors in the global economy, it is the green sector that is set to benefit most from a skills-based hiring approach"
We live in a competitive and changing business world, with the success of an organization depending heavily on the effectiveness of its employees. My experience in leading people over the past 20 years has taught me that, while providing autonomy and independence is essential, it is equally important for those who lead people to recognize the significance of employee coaching. Coaching employees, as opposed to solely leaving them to perform independently in their roles, is an investment that cultivates a culture of growth, engagement, and continuous improvement. In this article, I explore the reasons why coaching is crucial for unlocking the full potential of employees and driving organizational success.
Coaching plays a pivotal role in honing and developing the skills of employees. Through regular coaching sessions, managers can identify individual strengths and weaknesses, provide constructive feedback, and align appropriate training interventions. By offering guidance and support, leaders empower employees to overcome challenges, enhance their performance, and acquire new skills. This focus on skill development not only improves individual capabilities but also contributes to the overall growth of the organization.
Investing in coaching team members demonstrates a genuine commitment to their growth and professional development. Such investment fosters a sense of engagement, job satisfaction, and loyalty among employees. When employees perceive that their organization is invested in their success, they are more likely to feel valued, motivated, and willing to go the extra mile. Additionally, coaching provides a platform for open communication, where employees can voice their concerns, share ideas, and seek guidance. This collaborative approach strengthens the employee-manager relationship, leading to higher retention ratesand reduced turnover.
In an era of rapid technological advancements and evolving market dynamics, organizations must encourage a culture of continuous learning and adaptability. Coaching serves as a vehicle for knowledge sharing and instills a growth mindset within employees. Leaders who coach can offer insights, share industry trends, and provide resources that help employees stay ahead of the curve. By nurturing a learning environment, organizations can proactively prepare their workforce for new challenges, promote innovation, and ensure long-term sustainability.
Coaching, whether ad hoc or during scheduled meetings provides an opportunity to align individual goals with organizational objectives. Coaches help employees understand how their contributions fit into the bigger picture and guide them towards specific targets. Regular feedback and performance discussions allow for course corrections, ensuring that employees are on track to achieve their goals. This alignment promotes a sense of purpose and direction, enabling employees to work with focus and clarity.
Effective coaching is instrumental in nurturing future leaders within an organization. Through coaching, companies can identify high-potential employees, develop their leadership skills, and create a talent pipeline for future growth. Coaching imparts valuable insights, provides mentorship, and offers guidance that prepares employees for leadership roles big and small. This approach to succession planning minimizes leadership gaps, enhances organizational resilience, and supports long-term success.
Coaching employees is not a luxury; it is an essential investment in their growth and the overall success of an organization. By providing guidance and support though coaching, leaders can unlock the full potential of their employees, foster engagement, and cultivate a culture of continuous improvement. Coaching is an ongoing commitment by those who lead individuals, teams and projects, it is a habit that the best leaders possess, and it propels employees and organizations towards excellence.
While providing autonomy and independence is essential, it is equally important for managers and leaders to recognize the significance of employee coaching.
