Skills first: 3 pillars for career progression

The recruitment scene is being shaken up by a volatile external environment, resulting in a constant evolution in the role and remit of recruiters and in the skills needed to progress within the industry. For individuals who are relatively new to the profession, it is important to take stock of these evolving skills and to recognise the opportunity to build a vibrant, varied and rewarding career.

Recruitment is not alone when it comes to seismic shifts on the skills arena. According to the World Economic Forum, 1 billion people will need to upskill and reskill in the next decade, almost one third of all jobs worldwide. And LinkedIn data shows that the skills that employees need for a given position have shifted by around 25% since 2015 and by 2027 that number is expected to double. Looking ahead, how can recruitment professionals who are relatively new to the industry get to grips with the skills agenda and use this to turbo-charge their recruitment careers? Here are 3 pillars for personal development:

1. Having visibility of what new skills needs are - This is a vital starting point. The LinkedIn 2023 Workplace Learning Report flags communication, relationship-building, adaptability and problem-solving as some of the most important skills going forward. These so-called ‘soft-skills’ are increasingly recognised as business critical. The priority for individual recruiters is to regularly review, refresh and practice these skills. Yes, boosting awareness of technology developments and of how generative AI can be harnessed is also in the mix. But, interpersonal skills have never been more important.
    

2. Embedding good learning habits – Developing new skills means carving out space and time for training and learning activities; it means taking accountability for your own personal development. This is not an easy task, but forward-looking recruitment professionals are being assiduous in blocking time in busy schedules for ‘learning activities’. As a slight aside, one hope is that generative AI will help to offload repetitive, administrative tasks in order to ringfence more time for ‘human-touch’ and added-value activities - including personal development and upskilling.
    

3. Mapping clear progression routes – Equipping a new generations of recruitment professionals with the skills and knowledge they need to progress and thrive within a fast-changing recruitment landscape is a shared mission. This is in the interests of individuals and businesses as well as representative bodies like the REC who are set on promoting recruitment as a great industry to build a career in. Recruitment is moving from a career of chance to a career of choice; and career pathways are adding tempo to this metamorphosis. For individuals, the priority is to be clear on what the longer-term opportunities might look like. One of the core aims of our REC Professional membership   is to ramp up this visibility and fuel the progression journey.

Workforce issues have made their way to the top of the ‘worry list’ for business leaders across the UK and across the world. The scene is set for the work of recruitment professionals to move from transactional to transformative and to be champions of ‘human-centricity’ at a time of tech-driven omnipotence. With the velocity of world of work and jobs market change about to crank up a few notches, the opportunities to build skills and build careers in recruitment have never been as vivid.