What is the modern definition of talent? What do companies expect from employees, and how do they want them to engage with their brand? When recruiting for new employees, the all-stars and the game-changers, what sorts of qualities do they look for? There may not be a single definition of talent, but the value exchange between employee and employer has shifted significantly. Now, more than ever, the focus isn’t simply on hiring the best talent in the business, but more so on engaging today’s multigenerational, multicultural workforce and doing it with ingenuity and authenticity.
It’s obvious – the marketing and advertising world is in a state of transformation. The workforce is changing rapidly, and the ability to evolve depends, in large part, on the ability to embrace different ways of doing business. With the gig economy booming quicker than ever before, and the chase for quality talent getting tighter, staying relevant is critical to attracting and retaining the best talent at all levels.
As power continues to shift to the hands of employees, leaders are innovating in the area of talent management and engagement and moving towards creating enriching experiences that deliver on their search for purpose. In doing so, businesses are seeing higher retention and satisfaction rates from their talent. So the question becomes: how do organizations disrupt the traditional way of doing things to cultivate the future generation of talent.
During The Talent Track at Advertising Week 2016, presented by MEC, industry leaders discuss how today’s workforce is seeking more varied work experiences and growth opportunities, moving employers toward making the years their talent spends with them the best in their work-lives. The sessions explore talent in all of its guises, from attracting and retaining a diverse talent pool, to embracing and celebrating new and innovative approaches to talent acquisition, inclusion, motivating and promoting, learning and training, and more. By embracing difference and change, companies are beginning to build workplaces of the future that will wholly reshape the industry’s creative DNA.
In “Creating Authentic Conversations in the Workplace,” a session with Allison Arden, author of The Book of Doing, and Aria Finger, CEO of DoSomething.org, attendees will hear the panelists discuss what organizations can do to help millennial employees achieve a greater sense of purpose.
During “Braving Your Bias: We all Have ‘Unconscious Biases.’ What Are Yours?” presented by MEC, a panel will explore what bias looks like in the workplace and how it influences workplace decision making, including hiring and promoting. Attendees will hear from a variety of speakers, such as Tanya Odom, global consultant and leadership coach for Ed. M.
“Finding Top Talent in the Unlikeliest of Places,” a session presented by The Marketing Academy, will explore companies looking beyond traditional academic qualifications in the search for talent, and instead providing opportunity for young adults who would otherwise be overlooked because of challenging backgrounds or poor life choices. Speakers will include Sherilyn Shackell, founder and CEO of The Marketing Academy, and Edwin Broni-Mensah, founder and CEO of Give Med Tap.
For a full list of Talent Track sessions and other calendar events, check out newyork.advertisingweek.com/calendar. .
