How Are You Doing in the War for Talented Instructional Designers?

Have you heard there’s an industry battle going on right now? Perhaps you’ve experienced it firsthand. There’s an ongoing war for the best and brightest talent across multiple industries. Do you know how to out recruit your competition?

Here are a few tips to set you up for greater success:

Rethink Your Recruiting

With competition so high among employers, now is the time to reevaluate your recruiting methods. First and foremost, be proactive to attract the industry’s top talented instructional designers. Make sure you are advertising in the right places so prospective candidates are made aware of an opportunity early. This might include mobile or social media-based job listings, recruiting of passive job seekers and even a slower, proactive hiring process. Make sure the people you’re recruiting are A-level employees who fully meet the needs of the position and the culture of the company. Look to your existing roster of high performers for quality recommendations. Also, avoid spending your entire recruiting budget on one or two “rock stars” and focus instead on developing a team of well-rounded and effective team players.

Hire for Commitment Not Longevity

The leading industry talent often look for job opportunities where they know their work will be valued and their skills challenged, especially in the L&D industry. They seek out engaging, interesting jobs and companies that further their careers. Don’t think that once you hire someone they will stay with you for life. That’s simply not the way employees grow their careers any more. Given the job market is so competitive, the most sought-after candidates often find themselves drawn to other opportunities and new projects over a period of time. This is natural given that new and more exciting projects come along at a rapid pace in the business world. In order to stay competitive within their field, professionals often need to work on a variety of projects and with a variety of teams to achieve their career goals. Recognizing this, it’s important to be more open to hiring the talent who can make an impact even if it’s just for the short term.

Offer More Than the Basics

A war for talent means it’s a seller’s market. High-quality candidates are often fielding multiple job offers and the basic compensation package simply won’t cut it in this day and age. Financial incentives are important, but they are not the only deciding factor for many new hires. Company culture and workplace flexibility is important. High-quality benefits packages, and learning and development programs are also a high priority. In a competitive job market, employees want to know their company is fully invested in their success, so job satisfaction and extended learning programs are two additional factors in the career-altering decision to take a new job.

Are you looking for top Instructional Designers?

For more insight into how you can attract the industry’s leading talent, contact Clarity Consultants today.