How Learning Helps Bolster your Recruiting Strategy

Employment branding is all the rage these days and with good reason. HR leaders and savvy recruiters know they need to step up their game to catch the eye of high-quality candidates. Even though 90% of global professionals are interested in hearing about new job opportunities,¹ finding and attracting top talent continues to be a challenge for many organizations.

It’s no secret that 43% of people leave their jobs because of a lack of career opportunities and advancement, which seems like a crying shame. Countless studies have shown that employees are happier, more engaged, and more productive when their employer invests in their skills and professional development. This is why it’s essential to have a learning and development program and to communicate why and how you invest in your employees’ skills and career growth throughout the candidate journey.

When you’re thinking about your employment branding strategy, remember to highlight your internal learning and development programs.

What do candidates want to know the most about your company? According to LinkedIn’s 2016 Global Talent Trends report:

• 66% of candidates want to know about your culture and values,
• 54% of candidates want to know about perks and benefits, and
• 50% of candidates want to know about your mission and vision.

Learning and development programs are important to both candidates and employees. People jump at the opportunity to learn new skills so they can add value, make a stronger impact, and contribute to the success of their organization’s goals. Learning sparks innovation, and organizations invested in the continuing education of their workforce attract candidates who are equally invested in them.

Here are three tips on how you can leverage learning to bolster your recruitment strategy:

1. Articulate your core values and commitment to learning. Two-thirds of candidates want to know about your company’s culture and values. They want to know what sets you apart from your competitors and the type of culture they will be immersed in, which is why it’s important to highlight your commitment to investing in your employee’s careers in your mission statement or core values.
2. Share success stories on your careers page. Real, authentic stories are among the biggest factors connecting candidates to brands. People want to envision themselves working for your company. There is no better way to illustrate that sentiment than capturing and showcasing your employees’ career growth and success. You can go as big as showcasing an employee video interview or as simple as capturing an authentic quote about their experience working at your organization.
3. Weave in the importance of learning throughout the interview process. People don’t know what they don’t know, which is why it’s so important to highlight your learning programs and career paths throughout the interview process. If continuing education and employee development is something you care about as a manager and as an organization, be sure to discuss it with potential hires.