The Business Case for Elevating Nontraditional Talent From Within

BY Stephanie Reed | November 08, 2023

Anthony Hughes, CEO and co-founder of Tech Elevator, aspires to broaden the scope of talent available for technology companies. From this mission he gained a fresh perspective and approach to business described as “elevating people, companies, and communities.”

“There’s an enormous opportunity for America’s corporations to recognize the value of the talent that they have within and see that benefit,” Hughes said. He founded Tech Elevator based on this revelation: promoting nontraditional talent, particularly internally, is advantageous for businesses and the economy.

One notable success story Hughes recounts is Amazon’s Career Choice Program, where the company invested $900 million to reskill its warehouse workers despite the potential risk of investing in the careers of these workers, many of whom were temporary employees.

Amazon utilized its quality warehouse talent and developed an impressive brand builder, driving the company to reach new heights of sustainable progress. Hughes sees this approach as a natural trajectory for individuals climbing the corporate ladder and optimizing businesses.

A Broader Scope of Talent

During his thought leadership spotlight session at From Day One’s Philadelphia conference, Hughes shed light on employers’ hesitations about reskilling their teams. To that, he shared compelling results from his company, revealing that one of his clients achieved an impressive 100% retention rate over three years after undergoing in-house reskilling.

Aptitude assessments predict career performance outcomes more accurately than educational background, years of experience, academic success, or promising interview, according to a study by Frank L. Schmidt and John E. Hunter.

Anthony Hughes of Tech Elevator led the thought leadership spotlight in Philadelphia.

Hughes discussed the broader implications of these findings on business. “When you come to the realization that cognitive ability is distributed evenly in the general population, and in your incumbent workforce, the territory that you can fish for talent becomes exponentially larger.”

Businesses and workers reach new professional heights when they consider talent beyond traditional recruiting. Hughes cites several successful companies in broadening the available scope of talent through advancing nontraditional talent and reskilling.

For example, JP Morgan Chase has a Tech Connect program that selects and trains candidates from HBCUs in computer science, chemistry, and biology graduate programs.

Companies like Tech Elevator and JP Morgan Chase are finding more talent with the skills to perform by broadening their selection process to directly counteract the imbalance of talent that traditional systems produce in our economy today.

“We simply cannot buy our way to acquiring all the talent we need. We must think in the long term about developing strategies to create the talent that we need to compete consistently,” Hughes said.

In 2015, in Cleveland, Ohio, there were 8,000 software developer positions, yet only 280 individuals from all of its 4-year institutions held computer science degrees. Tech Elevator contributed to filling the gap of high-potential talent in technology companies by training people from diverse backgrounds and helping clients develop an in-house reskilling program.

Investing in Your Community to Grow

Some employers feel apprehensive about elevating nontraditional talent from within due to costs and other measures. However, internal reskilling costs companies about $20,000, while traditional recruiting costs add up to $135,000.

“Rethinking the Build vs. Buy Approach to Talent,” a study by Josh Bersin, factors onboarding and the average 2-3 turnover cycles over three years in traditional recruiting methods toward higher effort and costs.

The advantages of reskilling go beyond this too, by promoting diversity, building an employer brand, and leading to less turnover.

Promoting nontraditional talent from within optimizes businesses through efficient time, team, and financial management: companies save time and money by reskilling talent from within, see their productivity quicker without an onboarding process, maintain retention, and get reliable feedback on business development.

Companies also have an opportunity to promote diversity by elevating nontraditional talent from within, helping workers loyal to their organizations reach their fullest potential and achieve leadership positions by developing new skills.

The business case for elevating nontraditional talent from within is successfully closing the gap between companies and high-potential talent by investing in the myriad of qualified workers within their companies. The foundation of business success remains true today: workers are the most valuable asset.

“Everybody here is here because you have worked your way up,” Hughes noted. “You have had an impact in your careers; you have demonstrated that you are worthy of investment.”

Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Tech Elevator, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight.

Stephanie Reed is a freelance news, marketing, and content writer. Much of her work features small business owners throughout diverse industries. She is passionate about promoting small, ethical, and eco-conscious businesses.

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To Attract More Talent, Build a Bigger Tent

Get a degree, get the job. That’s been the way of finding careers for a long time. But companies are taking a hard look at how they handle talent acquisition, and they’re realizing it’s time to rethink their time-worn approach. One way is to remove barriers for people who might lack traditional credentials, but have the potential to be a good fit.“We take a skills-based approach,” said Eric Ueno, SVP of HR for Hot Topic. “We found that bachelor's degrees were a barrier for a lot of prospective candidates. So, we look at the skills more than the education itself.”Ueno joined four other panelists on the topic of rethinking talent acquisition at From Day One’s Los Angeles conference.When it comes to attracting the type of talent that would fit well with the Hot Topic brand, Ueno says that every touchpoint reflects the environment the employee would be working in. From picking the right URL to taglines that resonate with the core audience. “The other thing that we do is take a look at innovation in terms of, how do we get people into our hiring process as quickly and easily as possible?” he said. QR codes or text to apply signs at their stores make it easy for potential talent to apply. Then continuing with useful tech, “We have a chatbot that we use that interacts with all of our potential candidates and helps them search out where the job opportunities are.” With an applicant pool of 94,000 qualified candidates in 2022 alone, the chatbot has been huge in terms of productivity. Cast a Wider NetMany industries are hurting for talent, which is why one of the panelists suggested taking a more nontraditional approach. “Look at all the untapped talent in your community that’s being blocked out because of your traditional mindset,” said Rita Stall, senior director of digital operations at Tech Elevator.Actively reaching out to communities of people that companies tend to ignore can grow your business in ways you never thought possible, says Stall. “The neurodiverse, the veterans, the career transitioners, the recently incarcerated folks—there’s lots of workforce programs across the United States, they’re in every state in every community that have tons and tons of really good talent,” she said.The panelists discussed the topic “To Attract More Talent, Build a Bigger Tent” at From Day One's Los Angeles conference. When looking to fill roles, don’t underestimate the value of employees already working at your business. They already know company culture, and even though their current job may be in a different department, the question is, do they have the skills that matter? And can they be trained to do the rest? Because they could be a better fit and a less expensive find. “Certification programs are really a great way to take those learning and development dollars, your in-house dollars, and find the talent within your organization,” Stall added. The average software developer costs $60,000 to find, onboard, and train. Whereas instead, you can invest inside of that talent.”Engage Your EmployeesIt’s one thing to hire an employee, and it’s quite another to retain them. Brian Padilla, VP, HR business partner & production leader for Lionsgate, says they have a unique challenge because the different roles are defined with specific functions. So how can they help their employees feel engaged and valued?“Are they receiving the development that they need? Are they fulfilled? Are they happy in their role?” he said. They may have the employee take on a stretch assignment, perhaps take second lead on a particular project, or shadow another person. It gives them upward movement, he says. Or they can start them on their internal coaching program, mentorship program, or certification program. There are certain skills that can be taught, and others that are hard to find. So focusing on what matters keeps the best talent where they want to be. Traditionally, people would look for work pretty much anywhere. These days, employees want a company and a work environment that aligns with their values. That’s why it’s important to have them front and center. “The employer brand is huge,” he said. Candidates want to get a sense of what the company is all about. “What are the values? Do you live by them? What is your DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) philosophy?” Focus on FlexibilityNick Wolny, columnist at Out Magazine, moderated the panel.The nontraditional approach to talent requires flexibility. That means thinking outside the box. Challenging the old way of doing things. Opening new doors.“I think we’re really talking about being agile, in terms of the methods used to onboard and also the way that you look at the people that you’re bringing in. Agility is a big factor,” said Bertha Haro, executive director for NPower, California. But depending on your industry, focus on that competitive advantage. Outsource the skills that are broad and easy to find. “But when you’re talking about industry competitive advantage, then you want to keep it in-house, and you want to have a different pathway toward building that talent capacity,” Haro said.Enhance the positions you already have, she added. “Across the board, all of us, we may be in roles that existed 20 or 40 years ago, but the way we operate is not the same as the way they did.”Grow Business Through PurposeUltimately, companies need to find purpose and bring their employees along with them. And that purpose can and even should evolve over time. In the case of Mattel, purpose started out one way but has turned into something different today. “Business growth is based upon acknowledging that you must find the ways to evolve, find new ways to connect, find new ways to actually grow business through purpose. Doing good work and doing good business are not at odds,” said Mason Williams, global head of DEI at Mattel.Evidence of changing values and focus are showing up in the changing demographics of executive suites, and that’s a good thing, Williams says. “There are more people in executive suites who might have been what you call underrepresented. I think that there’s more of an affinity in certain places where folks say, ‘Hey, you know what, my route might have been more nontraditional than ever.’”Companies need to take stock of how they operate so they can make better decisions. “Who’s in the room when they’re actually trying to change the way or evolve the organization?” Without the inclusion of progressive perspectives, valuable voices may go unheard.Carrie Snider is a Phoenix-based journalist and marketing copywriter.

Carrie Snider December 11, 2023

Guiding Employee Growth With Inclusive Pathways to Success

Success in an organization is never a given, and without a clear pathway, it becomes almost unattainable for employees. Creating inclusive pathways for employee growth is a strategic imperative that fosters engagement, trust, and long-term retention. Five panelists spoke on this during From Day One’s LA conference in a conversation moderated by Nick Wolny, columnist for Out Magazine.Leverage Employee Resource GroupsOne way that companies can create inclusive pathways for employee growth and success is to make the most of their ERGs. Panelist Antonio Hairston, VP of recruiting, diversity outreach & early career talent for William Morris Endeavor, says that leaders should join ERGs. That way, leaders can participate, advocate, and promote them. “Over 2,000 members are a part of them, and it’s an authentic way to really build community,” he said. “Four of my team members are either a part of the leadership board or a part of a committee, and so as we think about our conversations and quarterly reviews or semi-monthly reviews, we talk about their personal development, and we talk about ways in which we can stretch them, ways in which we can give them stretch assignments.”This kind of collaboration and skill-building is instrumental in helping employees grow. Taking it a step further, Hairston became a mentor as part of the company’s ERG mentorship program. “It gives me the opportunity to connect with someone outside of my direct team,” he said. “We’re bouncing ideas off of each other, and I get a fresh new perspective from someone  far removed from my direct team.”It’s really a win-win for both, with the mentor gaining insight, while the mentee learns from a leader in the company.Create Sharing OpportunitiesAt Chedraui, previously Smart & Final and El Super, where panelist Joseph Tischbern is VP of talent development and engagement, they focus on looking at employees as individuals. “We’re not just going to train you. We’re going to help you find the skills that exist in you, and we’re going to coach you until you believe that you can do whatever’s possible,” he said.Everyone comes to work wanting to be successful, but success may look different depending on each person. In order to feel comfortable to do that, there must be an environment of trust. To do that, companies need to create sharing opportunities.When Chedraui acquired Smart & Final, the company went from 12,000 people to 25,000 overnight. Tischbern said while many of the employees shared some commonalities with regards to Spanish language and culture, they needed to bond as employees and speak a common company language. “We put them in as many learning environments together as we possibly could,” he said. They also focused on developing consistent language. That included putting everyone through the Gallup Strengths Finder and the Seven Habits for Highly Effective People. From that, employees began speaking a common language, which ultimately helped them to trust the environment. One company leader, an immigrant from Iran, shared stories of hardship living in his home country. Soon others began sharing their stories. “Him being so transparent in that learning environment started breaking walls down,” Tischbern said. “Forty leaders in a room started to talk about their experiences. And that started to transform the culture.” Shift to Skills-Based HiringAn inclusive pathway always starts with the first step, and that’s hiring. Panelist Christine White, head of talent acquisition, North America, at Alstom, said they’ve changed how they approach getting people in the door. “We created a matrix for the core skills that we needed for all of our exempt and non-exempt positions,” she said. Still, letting go of traditional ways of focusing on degrees from specific universities can be hard for some leaders. To help change the mindset, shifting to a skills-based hiring model is a constant topic of discussion, White says. One thing they’ve done is put potential hires through tests, and share the results with leadership.The group of leaders spoke on the topic "Creating Inclusive Pathways for Employee Growth and Success"As they continue to share the results, a pattern emerges. It challenges the educational ecosystem and makes them ask the real question—what makes a person ready to work? If a person took the SAT or graduated from a prestigious university, does that automatically make them better? White concluded no. That’s a bias that needed to be challenged. This mindset shift to skills-based hiring has created an inclusive pathway for success. “We've been successful dealing with the education issue. It’s pretty much nearly gone in terms of a four-year degree,” White said. “Without the educational [barrier], we’re having them undergo a few more skill assessments in the pre-screening phase.” And any skills they still need, they teach, allowing for growth and success. Embrace DiversityThe current environment is a collision between DEI and talent development, says panelist Katie Oertli Mooney, managing director at Seramount. No matter what you call anything related to DEI, the focus is diversity, and it’s only going to become more important as time goes on. “Representation matters,” she said. “When we think about the future of work, students and those of younger generations are two times more likely to turn down a job if they don't see diversity in the organization.” Equitable access and opportunities is required so everyone can compete and move forward, Mooney says.Data from EEOC shows a 10 percent increase in new charges, meaning if inclusion isn’t at the center of an organization’s focus, there will be risks organizations would need to manage. Alternatively, leaders can proactively create a diverse workforce. “Having inclusive leaders, involving curriculum of that magnitude, leads to more effective, efficient workplaces,” Mooney said. A culture of belonging reduces attrition risks. Use the Power of AI for Job MatchingLarge corporations especially can find creating inclusive pathways challenging. 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But they came back and told him he’d be perfect for a different position—something he never would have considered, but thanks to AI the company matched his skills with what they needed. “Never in a million years did I think I would be running customer success,” he said. “But because we’re using these large data sets, we can see these anomalies, and we can see these patterns, and then we can lay those out for our employees.”By fostering inclusive pathways, companies can unlock the potential of their workforce by emphasizing trust, collaboration, and shared growth. Organizations that prioritize these efforts will not only build stronger communities within but will also drive sustainable success.Carrie Snider is a Phoenix-based journalist and marketing copywriter.

Carrie Snider November 25, 2024

Developing a Talent Marketplace Inside Your Company

Watching football on Sundays isn’t just a great way to unwind, the game also provides an important takeaway for employers. Robert Gulliver, chief talent & capability officer at Prudential Financial, knows this firsthand, having previously served as head of human resources for the NFL for nearly a decade.“I saw world-class Hall of Fame coaches really make a difference on the field with the power of coaching,” Gulliver said. “I wanted to be able to impart that power of coaching and bring that to Prudential. So, we've been doing a lot of work to democratize access to coaching, leveraging it, and working to bring the power of coaching to our employees at scale.” In both a sports and a business setting, coaching goes far beyond tactical management, it’s a form of inspirational leadership that encourages team members to be the best versions of themselves.During a fireside chat at From Day One’s Manhattan conference, Gulliver discussed how Prudential Financial is making coaching accessible to all levels of employees through its internal digital platforms. As the chief of talent for a 150-year-old company with 40,000 employees, Gulliver develops workers with a combination of technology, coaching, and a culture of listening. The goal: creating a democratization of opportunity.How Technology Impacts the Hiring ProcessMore and more, employers are turning to the digital world for talent cultivation, including online job listings. “The wonderful thing about online applications is that it democratizes access to opportunities,” Gulliver said. “It continues to be an important source of candidates that we’re investing in.” From the employer perspective, online job postings can bring in a wide, diverse selection of candidates to choose from. But for the applicant, the number of competing applications on an online platform can be daunting and demoralizing. With hundreds, or even thousands of other resumes and cover letters in the mix, it’s easy to feel lost in the shuffle.Since online applications work well for employers, though, they are not going anywhere. Gulliver suggests a few crucial steps to get yourself noticed among the applicant pool. He encourages candidates to set email or app notifications so they can be the first in the queue to apply as soon as an appropriate position becomes available, as early applicants tend to have an advantage over the rest. And while online applications are the way of the world now, personal connections can still make a difference. Gulliver suggests attending recruiting events and job fairs to get face time with hiring managers and learn more about the application process.The Ever-evolving Labor MarketJamie Heller interviewed Robert Gulliver in the grand finale fireside chat at From Day One's Manhattan event.After several years of turmoil amidst the Great Resignation, when employee turnover numbers were at what Gulliver calls “an all-time high,” employee retention has now evened out. “There’s not as much movement in the labor market as we had previously seen,” Gulliver said. And despite doomsday talk of artificial intelligence coming to take our jobs, Gulliver says it’s not something to fear. “Technology is going to become an enabler,” Gulliver said, and there will be “More of an emphasis on talent that can work with this technology.”Moderator Jamie Heller, business editor of The Wall Street Journal, notes that the AI conversation tends to be lumped into a broader conversation about efficiency, with companies asking themselves as an employee exits, “Do we really need to even fill this job? Maybe we can find a way to spread it out among other people, or have computers take care of it.” Gulliver says that while efficiency may be top of mind, it’s always in service of generating the best product or service possible. That can include leveraging technology or “Looking at our organizational structure to make sure that we continue to evolve and be more nimble as an organization.”With many companies, especially in the tech space, eliminating mid-level management positions and flattening the corporate structure in the name of efficiency, opportunities for promotion might seem slim, Heller posits. Gulliver says that in turn there is a renewed focus on skill-building as the mode of career advancement. “We have been taking a skills first approach, as we think about really what's going to be the currency of the future for our employees,” Gulliver said.Developing an Internal Talent Marketplace to Grow LeadersIn order to facilitate employee growth through professional development, upskilling, and even opportunities for new roles internally, Prudential Financial was one of the first corporations to create a talent marketplace, what Gulliver calls a “digital destination” rich with content to help employees grow and evolve.Gulliver shares an anecdote about a colleague who used the talent marketplace to develop his skills in compliance, and then also found an opportunity posted within the marketplace itself that allowed him to leverage those skills in a brand-new role. Having an internal marketplace helps employees feel valued and respected, with the opportunity to grow professionally within the company. And of course, by pairing that upskilling with what is essentially an internal job board, it also helps the company retain top talent so that they don’t automatically take those skills elsewhere. The organization plays multiple roles within one individual’s career journey.Prioritizing Talent as the Key to Sustainability“Our strategy is to make sure that we've got the right talent in the right roles with the right skills,” Gulliver said, whether that skilled talent ultimately comes from the internal marketplace or external sources. No matter the state of the labor market, be it a boom or a bust for employers, a company’s success will ultimately be driven by the people that it hires. Prudential Financial is a fine example. “You don't get to be a 150-year-old company without wonderful employees, employees that are continually reskilling and upskilling and are there for the transformation,” Gulliver said.“When we talk about continuing to evolve as an organization, our employees and their skills journey goes hand in hand with talking about how we are evolving as a company.” With its internal talent marketplace, the organization is positioning itself for the next 150 years and beyond.Katie Chambers is a freelance writer and award-winning communications executive with a lifelong commitment to supporting artists and advocating for inclusion. Her work has been seen in HuffPost, Honeysuckle Magazine, and several printed essay collections, among others, and she has appeared on Cheddar News, iWomanTV, and CBS New York.

Katie Chambers November 07, 2023