As 2019 comes to a close, there are a number of talent trends on the rise for 2020. Our team recently put together a 2020 Insurance Talent Trends Guide highlighting key themes on our radars and their potential impact on the industry. As you create your career resolutions for the new year, here are a few takeaways and how they may relate to your own professional journey. View the full guide and all 10 trends here.
Employers adapt to a candidate-driven recruiting climate.
In today’s market, we’re seeing incredibly low unemployment rates and more open positions than qualified individuals to fill them. As a result, hiring managers are tasked with creating compelling offers that resonate with top talent. Make sure you have a clear understanding of your motivators and desired non-monetary compensation (for instance, is the ability to work from home at the top of your list? Do you desire flex hours?) so that you are prepared to discuss what is important to you in an offer. At the same time, prepare questions ahead of time to help determine if a company and position is right for you throughout the interview process.
Organizations evolve corporate culture to meet business and employee needs.
Corporate culture is much more than offering open office environments, games and free snacks. Organizations are recognizing they must blend the needs of both their employees and their businesses to create corporate cultures that yield successful outcomes. Companies are adjusting outdated policies and evolving their cultures in order to attract the individuals necessary to meet their business goals. Focus on the value you bring to an organization, and the impact you’d potentially make on its corporate culture.
Qualified talent pools are expanded by recruiting for skills, not experience.
Savvy insurers are expanding their candidate pools and looking outside of their specific specialties to recruit qualified talent with the right transferable skills. As you embark on your job search, consider roles that may be outside your immediate area of expertise. Think about your transferable skills and how they may make an impact in other areas of insurance. At the same time, human skills are becoming increasingly important. Showcase attributes such as accountability, negotiation, communication, problem-solving, coaching, leadership, emotional intelligence and more, focusing on key areas that are desirable across multiple positions and cannot be easily replicated by machines.
Proactive diversity and inclusion efforts strengthen organizations.
The insurance industry has committed to a more inclusive workforce, and is focused on issues such as gender balance, equity and justice, and belonging. Talk is shifting to action and insurers are holding themselves accountable, proactively measuring their progress, and working to shed light on gaps and weaknesses. Forward-thinking organizations are focusing on recognizing and combatting potential unconscious bias within their recruiting activities. Blind resume screenings are also becoming more common and job postings are evolving to feature streamlined lists of requirements and gender-neutral language to help level the playing field and encourage a multi-dimensional candidate pool. Balanced and inclusive workforces strengthen teams and should be a priority for everyone within the industry.
To download the 2020 Insurance Talent Trends Infographic, click here.
