How LinkedIn Helps Employees Find Their Passion & Purpose

Sometimes the best advice is to ignore others' advice and follow your own path - even if you don't know where it will lead.

Before becoming LinkedIn's Global Head of Learning and Talent Development, Linda Jingfang Cai was on her way to becoming the youngest director at one of China's top management consultancies. However, as she recently shared in a LinkedIn post, she craved more.

"I thought, if I don't try something else, then what?" she said. "I will die... and not know if I'm capable of anything else."

So she took the bold first steps in what she now calls her "winding career journey" - a journey full of twists and turns, successes, failures and valuable life lessons. It was a journey that touched many industries across different countries and ultimately led her to Los Angeles, where last week she had the opportunity to speak at Talent Connect, LinkedIn's annual summit for talent leaders from around the world.

Her theme - how to inspire employees to take charge of their own career paths - provided insightful tactics to help companies become places where employees seize learning and development opportunities. Here are four key takeaways from Linda's talk:

Flexibility is crucial in uncertain times

Knowing that skilled professionals' jobs differ from six months ago and will differ tomorrow, Linda advised that career development approaches can't be static plans. She said: "We need to continue experimenting, innovating and adapting."

As we enter an economically turbulent period facing a tight labor market in the near future, Linda emphasized that people will not be able to return to how we once approached our work pre-pandemic.

For example, she cited the continuing popularity of remote job postings. Per LinkedIn's latest Global Talent Trends report, remote US job postings on LinkedIn accounted for 14% of total postings in September but received 52% of total applications.

Perks of the pre-pandemic era (like ping pong tables and unlimited kombucha designed to make offices feel like home) are no longer enough. Linda said: "Forward-thinking companies need to foster an inclusive work environment and unlock the potential of all employees, whether working remotely or in the office."

Personal career development benefits everyone

In over 20 years leading change at large companies, Linda has repeatedly faced a frustrating, recurring issue: Companies consistently undervalue the power of upskilling and reskilling their workforce and as a result have anxious, fearful workforces resistant to change.

So how can companies help employees shift from avoidance to actively pursuing new goals? Start with a definition of "career transition" that acknowledges the strength in any step, big or small.

LinkedIn's definition of career transition includes:

• Learning a new skill

• Taking on a new role

• Working on cross-functional teams

• Developing your personal network

These approaches are also effective for employees who have overcome fear and truly desire skills-building. In pandemic times, learning and development opportunities are emerging as top cultural qualities for a positive workplace.

And the newest workforce cohort, Gen Z, sees skills-building as a core job requirement rather than a perk. Over three-quarters (76%) of Gen Z employees believe learning is key to career success.

Know your employees holistically

You can't inspire employees to unlock their career potential if you don't know what they need to achieve it.

The Conference Board found that over half of global companies lack sufficient data on their existing workforce's skills and abilities, and only 10% of companies have a database or skills repository with profiles for all employees.

 

Linda said this is a big issue but can be addressed by building stronger collaborative relationships between HR, all focused on developing employees' skills.

Beyond assessing core skills, "managers" also need a deeper understanding of the types of employees they're working with by answering questions like: What motivates them? What barriers do they face and what learning opportunities (coaching, training, extended projects) best suit their experience?

It would be helpful to create archetypical employee personas. For example, "skill-seekers" could represent the group most eager to upgrade skills and advance. "Loyalists" represent the group willing to try different roles and projects as long as it relates to the company's purpose and goals.

Only when company leadership can answer questions like these can an ecosystem be built where employees feel encouraged and supported to build their own careers.

For individuals to transition, companies also need new ways of operating

Linda said: "Companies cannot sustain employee loyalty as a one-way commitment without investing in upskilling and reskilling them. Ultimately, people want to feel in control of their own destiny."

So what changes can companies make to become places where employees actively seek learning? Linda cited some important steps:

• Stop overemphasizing promotion as the definition of career development. Instead, accept and celebrate a broader view of career transition.

• Stop underestimating managers' important role in guiding employees' career development. Instead, train managers to coach and help people achieve their goals.

• Stop operating in silos where groups hoard talent and inhibit internal mobility. Instead, foster a culture that encourages purposeful talent movement.

• Stop being haphazard and arbitrary in enabling career development. Instead, develop fair and thorough processes and resources to support employee needs.

Conclusion: Start talking more often with employees about career development

In conclusion: Start talking to employees more often about career development

Recently, Linda shared an anecdote from Deborah Wilson, Head of Talent Development at Shutterstock, who said merely mentioning "career development" more frequently in routine HR coaching conversations can increase employees' feelings towards L&D.

(L&D is the acronym for Learning & Development, which simply translates to learning and development. This is a department under the Human Resources department.)

Linda said not everyone wants to climb the career ladder to the top. For many, the journey of experimenting with new skills, exploring interests and passions is more important.

(According to LinkedIn)