Candidates Say Yes to Employers Who Offer Development Plans

Congratulations! You’ve successfully advertised the role you want to fill and attracted a collection of talented candidates. 

However, your work doesn’t necessarily stop after you’ve brought your new employee on-board. As candidates from the millennial demographic spend more time searching for careers with potential, it’s up to business leaders to lead their staff towards opportunities for development.  

The key professionals you hire are no longer searching exclusively for the best salary or remuneration packages. Instead, people want a job that they feel is “going somewhere”, and a development plan might be the easiest way to convince your recruits that you have the culture they need.  

So, how do you create your own strategy for long-term success?
 

1. Start by Speaking to The Experts

An excellent development plan is a win/win situation. Not only does it demonstrate that you’re invested in helping your employees succeed, but it also means that you can tap into new and expanded skillsets as your people continue to learn.  

Of course, before you can get started, you need to know where to begin. Ask your staff what skills they need to perform better at work. After all, who knows your people’s needs better than them? Consider the following: 

• What skills do they need to excel in their position? 
• What achievements have they accomplished so far? 
• What would help to make the job easier? 
• What new talents might let them reach their goals? 
• Where do they want to be in the next 5 years, and what gaps do they need to fill to get there? 

2. Tie Team Goals to Company Goals 

Once you know more about what your new recruits are hoping to achieve, you can start to align their ambitions with the targets you’ve set for your company. Look at your brand plan and assess anything that might need extra work in your organisation.  

Often, teaching new skills to a staff member can be the key to unlocking doors for your enterprise and overcoming hurdles on the path to success.  

3. Choose the Right Training Strategies

Once you know which skills your candidates need to learn related to the goals of the company you can then decide on the training methodology. 

Depending on the needs and expectations of your staff, you can explore everything from instructor-led training to on-the-job training, and active training in a collaboration setting.  

In addition, there are exceptional online training programmes now available that make learning fun and engaging too. 

4. Plan for “Before”, “During” and “After”

Finally, with all the information you need in place, it’s time to create a plan that maps out your development strategy for each of your team members. Your approach can include deadlines, schedules, and plenty of valuable information about training options related to the individual or team needs. 

Think about when and how you want to reach your goals, and what it might take to implement your ideas successfully. For instance, do you need to invest in some new technology, or allow people to take time away from the office?  

Before the training begins, discuss why you’re offering specific courses to your employees, and highlight the fact that the experiences are for their benefit. After training, make sure that there are opportunities in place to help everyone apply his or her new skills to his or her role. Once they’ve successfully showcased their talents, remember to provide recognition and feedback to reinforce those achievements.  

Do You Need a Development Plan? 

A development program for your new recruits and existing professionals helps you to upgrade your employer brand and attract new talent. However, at the same time, it’s also an excellent way to improve employee satisfaction, boost retention, and make your workforce more knowledgeable too!  

When your people are happy and well-equipped, they’re more likely to go above and beyond for your brand, rather than searching for opportunities elsewhere.