Making hidden talent visible in government

Strengthening and empowering the federal workforce is a key tenant of the President’s Management Agenda. Considering that, as well as an aging labor force and the critical need for people with cybersecurity skills to combat increasingly sophisticated cyberthreats, now is the time for government agencies to reevaluate how they view employees’ skills.

Moving to a data-driven talent strategy can enable agencies to uncover hidden talent by matching the right people to the right work at the right time—and enhance employee experience and engagement.

Progression not promotion

The first step is realizing that skills do not equate to titles. For too long, career success has meant moving up General Schedule (GS) pay-scale levels or titles. But a change in title does not necessarily mean an individual has been or will be exposed to new experiences or gain new skills or responsibilities.

The growth that comes with new challenges can help keep employees fulfilled. One way to promote that is to allow employees to move into positions across the organization. Sideways needs to be the new up to keep valuable employees engaged in government missions.

Keeping talent in government

People enter public service because they want to work for an organization with a mission. They don’t leave because they stop believing in the mission. They leave because they don’t receive opportunities to grow and develop.

Talent sharing across agencies is long overdue. Hoarding talent within an organization does nothing for government goals or individual growth.

Government employees need to see career path options outside their current organizations. Where can their skills make an impact in another office or agency? Seeing a growth path can keep talent within the government ecosystem rather than losing it to commercial companies.

Diversify the workforce you already have

A data-driven approach to talent can go a long way toward driving out bias and growing equity. Across government, opportunities abound for people to get involved in steering committees, pop-up projects, and short-term initiatives.

We assume people will seek out these options. But employees tend to network only with people they know. This limits what they’re exposed to. Employees miss opportunities every day that are tailored to their skills and career goals.

With an automated, data-driven approach, opportunities can be pushed to employees who meet specific skills and capability criteria. Those employees can then engage with a digital workflow, allowing them to quickly and easily break into a new network within the organization.

Technology then becomes a proactive, enabling force in finding the best fit based on skills, not on position or education. No longer are we dependent on who we know.

Personalize the journey

Three-quarters of employees who’ve made a move within an organization have a higher likelihood of staying, according to the 2023 Workplace Learning Report from LinkedIn. Providing a dynamic career path backed by training and mentoring opportunities is a way for government agencies to demonstrate commitment to employees.

A one-size-fits-all training program ends up fitting no one. Employees have come to expect a personalized experience from the brands they interact with—music recommendations based on their tastes or reminders to order toothpaste based on their buying habits. They expect the same personalization from their employer.

Agencies need to become data-driven to better align their training with both employee and mission needs. Knowing potential growth areas for employees allows for more targeted efforts in offering reskilling and upskilling opportunities to the people who will most quickly benefit from the training. This will result in a more customized experience, giving employees programs and training they want to participate in and learn from.

LIKE.TG is proud to support organizations ready to make the leap to a data-driven, skills-based model. Watch our webinar for more details on how you can move away from spreadsheets and emails to manage skills in an automated way that works for everyone—HR, agency leaders, supervisors, and employees.

Find out more about how LIKE.TG helps government deliver better digital service experiences.

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