What do you do if your global talent acquisition team lacks a culture of continuous learning and development?

A global talent acquisition team cannot lack a culture of continuous learning and development alone - this would no doubt resonate throughout the organisation. So as a leader the first place I would look, is to myself. How am I encouraging and rewarding the team, how do I show that I value learning and development and how can I build space into the working day to enable, facilitate and celebrate it? Everyone learns differently so ensuring I understand how as individuals they learn new skills is crucial, cemented by encouraging them to reflect on what they have learned and how they intend to apply it. The key is to ensure curiosity and creativity is encouraged. 'Learnability' is a key attribute as roles evolve - a skill in itself!

In my experience it’s crucial to Conduct regular performance reviews with individual team members to identify skill gaps and areas for improvement. Utilize online assessments or standardized tests to evaluate competencies in specific areas relevant to talent acquisition, like sourcing strategies or legal compliance in international recruitment. Actively monitor industry publications, attend conferences, and participate in online forums to stay abreast of the latest trends and best practices in global talent acquisition.

Identify the root cause of the absence of a learning culture. Recognize areas of knowledge gaps or the need for upskilling. Share success stories of teams and organizations that have a strong learning culture. Explore opportunities to create a learning culture through various initiatives, including formal or informal training programs, mentorship, job shadowing, cross-learning, and online courses. Allocate dedicated time, budget, and resources for learning and development, and integrate them into Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Look for avenues to establish a knowledge-sharing platform among teams and throughout the organization. Acknowledge and celebrate team members who actively engage in continuous learning and development.

Implement a learning and development program, provide access to training resources, encourage participation in workshops and conferences, offer mentorship opportunities, and recognize and reward employees who demonstrate a commitment to learning and growth.

Start by conducting a comprehensive assessment of your team's current skills, knowledge, and competencies. Identify areas where improvement or development is needed to effectively meet the demands of your talent acquisition role. This assessment can involve individual discussions, skills assessments, performance reviews, and feedback sessions.

To foster a culture of continuous learning and development in global talent acquisition, align learning goals with business objectives. Implement training programs that address skill gaps and support career growth. Encourage feedback loops and knowledge sharing to ensure ongoing improvement and innovation within the team.

Lead by example. Continue to learn yourself, and have regular meetings to discuss what's been learned and how it applies to your business. People need to know the WHY behind what they are doing, and some are not able to make the connection without some assistance. Stay involved.

Collaborate with key stakeholders to comprehend the organization's strategic goals and objectives. This might involve business plans, financial reports, and discussions with leadership teams. Analyze the current talent landscape and future workforce needs. Conduct skills gap analyses to pinpoint areas where your existing workforce falls short of the required competencies to achieve business objectives.

Ensure that your learning and development initiatives are closely aligned with the overarching goals and objectives of your organization. Consider how enhancing specific skills or competencies within your team can contribute to the overall success of your talent acquisition function and support broader business objectives such as attracting top talent, reducing time-to-fill, and improving retention rates.

Encourage team members to set individual learning goals aligned with their career aspirations and the needs of the organization. Regularly review progress and provide support and resources to help them achieve their goals.

Recruiters tend to be practical, time-short and operationally driven individuals. There is also often a tendency towards change resistance (in my experience). Hence, if you want to foster a culture of continuous learning, it's often very effective to agree hands-on projects with clear deliverables, and allow learning to happen that way. If these projects are cross-functional and/or with international colleagues, then so much the better. This might be a project to build out data dashboards, for example, or something related to employer branding. You can combine this with more passive learning and allowing teams to share updates and talk through things they are working on in global team calls is an excellent way to ensure knowledge transfer.

Offer a collection of online courses, articles, and ebooks on various recruitment and talent acquisition topics. This allows individuals to choose subjects relevant to their interests and preferred learning pace. Implement a program connecting experienced team members with newer colleagues. This fosters knowledge sharing, career guidance, and personalized learning experiences. Provide access to microlearning platforms with short, bite-sized learning modules on specific skills or industry trends. This caters to busy schedules and allows for on-the-go learning.

Offer a variety of learning opportunities to accommodate different learning styles, preferences, and schedules within your team. This may include traditional training sessions, workshops, conferences, webinars, online courses, self-paced learning modules, mentorship programs, and cross-functional projects. Encourage team members to pursue learning in areas that align with their individual career aspirations and development goals.

Offer a variety of learning opportunities, such as training programs, workshops, webinars, and conferences. Provide access to online learning platforms or resources that cater to the specific needs of your team.

In my experience, I would organize regular training sessions, workshops, and webinars on relevant topics such as sourcing techniques, diversity recruiting, and employer branding. Additionally, I would encourage knowledge sharing among team members, create mentorship programs, and provide opportunities for professional growth through certifications and conferences. By leading by example and promoting a culture of continuous learning, I believe we can enhance the team's skills, efficiency, and overall success in talent acquisition on a global scale.

Implement programs that acknowledge and celebrate the completion of training courses, certifications, or educational milestones. This could involve public recognition during team meetings, company newsletters, or internal social media platforms. As well allocate budget for professional development activities like conferences, workshops, or online courses. This demonstrates the organization's investment in the team's growth and empowers them to pursue relevant learning opportunities.

In my experience it’s important to conduct surveys, skills assessments, and performance reviews to gauge the effectiveness of current programs and identify skill gaps. Monitor employee engagement, knowledge retention, and application of learned skills to measure the impact of L&D initiatives. Compare your L&D programs and employee skill sets with industry best practices to identify areas for improvement.

Evaluate the effectiveness of your learning and development initiatives in meeting the identified needs and objectives of your team. Gather feedback from participants, track key metrics such as skill acquisition, performance improvement, and employee engagement, and adjust your strategy accordingly. Be open to iterating on your approach and exploring new learning methodologies or technologies to enhance the impact of your efforts.

Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your learning and development initiatives. Seek feedback from team members on their learning experiences and use that feedback to make improvements and adjustments to your programs.

In my experience, learning is a choice until you reach a performance crossroad…. Until you reach that point, where ways of working and or performance are compromised through outdated or overly antiquated practice… learning is a preference. It will suit some… and not others. I have often found that the mere title of ‘Learning’ or ‘development’ can be an off putting factor. Mandatory practice updates are often more effective… To incentivise performance is helpful… factor learning and or development into annual performance and it becomes more of a routine expectation

Look at your internal social hierarchy, identify the influencers and engage them in high quality learning. Their passion for learning will ignite some sparks across the team and you just fan the flames

If a global talent acquisition team lacks a culture of continuous learning and development, start by assessing the current situation through feedback and surveys. Establish clear goals and expectations regarding learning and development. Provide resources such as training programs, workshops, and mentorship opportunities. Encourage knowledge sharing and collaboration among team members. Recognize and reward individuals who actively participate in learning initiatives. Lead by example by demonstrating a commitment to learning. Monitor progress regularly and make adjustments as needed to foster a culture of continuous learning and development within the team.