14. Further Findings
Undergraduate degree still the most common highest
qualification held (41%)
Majority of those aged 16 – 24 are looking to start a
career (68%), rather than seeking temporary employment
(32%)
However, only 54% considered their current position to
be the start of their career
Whilst many have considered further study (81%), only
35% planned to return to full time education
19. Further Findings
Annual leave is the benefit that those over 50 value most
(46%), followed by pension (31%)
75% would be keen to take on a mentoring role
More than half are still career-focused, with 56%
considering themselves to be in a career
More than three quarters (76%) of those aged 50+ feel
that they have opportunities to train and develop
27. Summary
• Are younger people entering the workplace
with uncertainty due to a lack of proper
career advice?
• Does this present an opportunity for
organisations who are willing to provide
guidance/mentorship?
• Are older workers overlooked for new
opportunities? Do we assume that they are
already giving all they can?
28. Summary
• Does the key to staff retention lie in
outlining career progression – even (or
especially) for our older workers?
• Do you know each of your people’s
ambitions?
30. Discussion Topics
What is the best piece of career advice
you ever received?
What do you think are the biggest
misconceptions of younger and older
workers?
What is the one thing from today’s
session you’ll take back to the office?
Fraser
In short, Jobsgopublic are a recruitment advertising agency – primarily working with public sector employers to provide creative recruitment solutions.
In essence, what we do can be broken down into three key areas
We help our clients tell their stories and get their key messages out there, to the right audience
We help them attract quality and relevant candidates, whether that be driving traffic to a microsite, a job vacancy or getting out there and finding candidates through online search
And finally, we help employers ensure that they have highly effective, streamlined application processes. This helps make sure that candidates are not lost along the way and our clients secure maximum numbers of applications. We do this through our range of tech including online application forms, applicant tracking system and talent pools.
Thanks Fraser, so why are we here today…
Around this time last year I started a conversation with Caroline and Karen about a possible joint research piece we could for the 2018 conference.
We started to discuss some different ideas and the idea that kept recurring was a multigenerational research piece.
I first started to think about this topic as a result of a question I often pose to our clients which is “how confident would you feel recruiting a Chief Executive and an Apprentice simultaneously?”.
For me this question highlights some of the challenges our clients face on a day to day basis.
Recruitments is no longer a one size fits all approach.
To be successful recruiting in today’s world it’s important to really understand the audience you are trying to target.
So coming back to this question. Are the priorities and motivations the same for of someone at the start of their career compared to someone much further along in their career journey?
Liv
As well as the chief executive and apprentice question before we start any recruitment campaign we also encourage our clients to ask themselves these 3 questions.
Who are you targeting? Who’s your ideal candidate & what characteristics would they need to have in order to be successful.
How can you reach them? What websites will this candidate be visiting? How can you get your advert in front of them?
And finally, what are they looking for? What would motivate them to change jobs?
The answer to these will differ depending on the type of field you are recruiting too but will it differ because of a candidates age.
So these were just a few of questions we wanted the answers too so we went to work and we are delighted to be sharing these results with you today.
But before I launch into the results.. I just want to say I don’t want this research to end here, this research has made me want to find out more and I want this research to fuel further conversations for you.. So although we’ll be talking for the next 10 minutes we are then going to shut up and hand over the conversation to you.
Liv
To collect this data we pulled together two surveys for the two different age groups, those starting their career and those who will have been in a position for a no. of years.
The survey was live for 2 months and the full results can be found in the research booklet which we’ll be handing out at the end of the session.
So firstly we are going to talk about some of the main stats from the 16 – 24 survey.
Liv
Something the 16 – 24 survey highlighted is there is clearly something missing when it comes to career advice.
Many are waiting until university if they are getting any at all, by this point they have already chosen their degree which can have a significant influence on their future direction.
This got me thinking about whether I received any career advice. And to be honest I don’t remember receiving any career advice when I was growing up. I was lucky enough to go to uni before the fee’s rocketed, picked a topic I liked and then was lucky enough to fall into a career I love. But I know it won’t be the same for everyone.
Do you remember any career advice you were given?
Do you wish you were guided better?
And do you think we are missing out by not helping the next generation find a career they truly love?
Liv
One of the main things we wanted to understand from this survey is what would keep someone at an organisation at different stages of their career.
It doesn’t come as a huge surprise that many wouldn’t stay at an organisation that didn’t offer them the prospects of progression.
However, progression doesn’t have to mean an immediate job title change and salary increase. For many it’s just being given the chance to learn and to have a clear career path set out in front of them.
I was interviewing graduates last week and a question I always ask is if you were to get this job and we were sat here in 12 months, what would success look like to you. Every single candidate said the same thing ‘They want to feel like they have learnt new skills and are able to take on new responsibilities where appropriate so they an progress’
If you do offer progression paths make sure you refer to this in your job adverts. If you have a microsite make sure you include employee testimonials from people that have progressed through your organisation
Liv
Looking at the flip side we also asked what would make candidates leave an organisation.
And the most popular reason was an ‘unfriendly working environment;
Management also has a key role to play in an employees happiness.
With the increase in flexible working and hot desking it’s important to maintain a healthy level of communication and where possible face to face communication.
Regular team meetings, open door policies and a buddy system can all help keep a friendly working environment.
One of the other quite positive findings is a large proportion of young people are looking to start their career – they want a position that they can really get their teeth into and progress in.
However one of the biggest frustrations for young people is finding an organisation that will give them this opportunity, many organisations ask for a couple of years experience so they find it impossible to get a foot in the door.
If you are able to give someone with no experience an opportunity at the start of their career they will often return this in their loyalty and enthusiasm.
The survey also highlighted that people don’t want to stop learning, so if you have a good training and learning programme make sure you include this as part of your recruitment campaign.
Fraser
Fraser
Interesting to see that the predominant percentage is those who have been at their current organisation for over a decade.
Fraser
The significant percentage of those who have been at their current company for a considerable amount of time (5-10 years) but only held one or two positions in that time is very interesting. Many would hope to have moved position in that time, raises the question of how many older workers feel that they’re position within their organisation has stagnated.
This is further supported by…
Fraser
…The fact that the biggest percentage of people hade to move organisation. Are enough opportunities being made available for older workers? Is this just because there are simply fewer positions once you enter the more senior levels of an organisation?
Fraser
Liv
Liv
Whilst there are some similarities across both age groups – such as being motivated by money and the sense of achievement there are also some notable differences.
The most important motivating factor for 50 + is work life balance. which doesn’t even feature for younger respondents. Priorities change over a persons life and if you can be seen as an employer that supports this you are much more likely to attract a wider field.
On the flip side positive encouragement is clearly needed when someone is starting out their career so it’s important to make sure young employees are given the praise and recognition when deserved.
Liv
Liv
It would appear that younger workers feel happier that their skills are put to proper use but are less confident that they make a difference. Whereas people further on in their career feel slightly more confident of the impact that they have but are less satisfied when it comes to their skills being put to use.
Do you feel that the people in the 50+ age bracket in your organisation could offer more? Do you feel like you are fully utilizing all of their skills?
Fraser
Fraser
Fraser
Fraser
So now our initial questions have found their answers, what are the next questions?