While many employees may be comfortable in their current roles, it's probably safe to say that most top talent want to continually advance in their career. Regardless of whether the goal is to be promoted within a company, or simply stay up-to-date on new skills or technologies , high performers of all generational groups want to improve themselves, so they're better tomorrow than they are today.

This reality is great news for businesses, which are increasingly focusing their operations on training. However, it's equally important to make these training opportunities apparent to candidates, as this can encourage them to join your company's ranks should they be extended a job offer.

Training to become a top priority in 2019

Companies have a lot of priorities throughout the year, and at the top of the list is strengthening employee training programs. In fact, 58 percent of employers in the 2018 MRINetwork Performance Management Study said training programs, as well as attracting and retaining top talent are major issues they intend to tackle in the new year.

"Training really isn't about achieving a quick hit or magical answer," said Sherry Engel, vice president of learning & talent development for MRINetwork. It should be part of a strategy to ensure skillsets are aligned with the needs of the business. By strategically focusing development on individuals that contribute to the company's goals, employers will see improvement in their business outcomes. Not only does this benefit organizations through improved business results, but also leads to higher employee engagement , which ultimately drives retention."

They're wise to do so, not only because successful training improves work processes, but also because training is something that employees desire. Among candidates in the MRINetwork survey, external training was cited as one of their most preferred incentives for staying with a company.

It's easy to understand why. The job market is extraordinarily competitive and businesses are pulling out all the stops to find the most qualified people. Training gives current workers a leg-up on their competition in the marketplace, while also incentivizing job seekers to apply because of the potential to advance their career.

Workers acknowledge the value of training

Workers today aren't just competing with other individuals - machines are vying with them as well. Artificial intelligence is used in a variety of industries, in part to reduce labor expenses. Some experts believe that AI will become more commonplace over time, particularly for positions that involve repetitive tasks. However, a recent Gallup poll found that Americans aren't too worried about losing their jobs to robots, especially those with highly specialized skills. This may be because they have faith in the upward mobility that training can spur. In a separate Gallup survey, 43 percent of respondents said they're confident about being able to take advantage of training to improve their skill sets in the event AI puts their job security at risk.

Help workers bridge generational gaps by learning from each other

Regardless of age group, leveraging training makes good business sense. Not only can workers benefit from training that will help them personally in their own career trajectory, but cross-generational training programs, such as mentoring and succession planning, can also help the organization ensure the next generation of employees are being prepped to lead the company into the future. Senior staff can also benefit by learning more efficient processes or technologies from younger workers who may be more adept with these platforms.

"Employers should take a blended approach to training, ensuring specific development programs are aligned with the best delivery approach," advised Engel. "With a growing number of Baby Boomers retiring, there's an enormous opportunity to provide formal mentoring and succession planning programs that share the knowledge of years past with the up-and-coming next generations. Today's learner also wants their training to be short, focused and timely, through delivery platforms such a short videos or text tips. The most effective programs incorporate these methods."

Just as junior staff can learn from those older than them, senior staff can also benefit by learning about more efficient processes or technologies from younger workers, who may be more adept with certain platforms.

Generation Z - those born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s are particularly interested in training opportunities. According to LinkedIn, Gen Z is on pace to represent 20 percent of the American workforce by as early as 2020. Given their relative newness to the working world, they're ready and willing to learn the ropes. Sixty-two percent of Gen Z respondents in a LinkedIn survey said becoming better at their job was the main reason why they were open to learning, more so than for salary or promotion purposes.

"Gen Z are interested in training on skills that will benefit them in the job they have today, as well as for roles they will have in the future.," Engel said. "Giving them this opportunity can be mutually enriching and rewarding."

Ultimately, top performers of all generational groups are driven to succeed. The quickest, most effective way of achieving it is through learning, which training provides. Be sure to mention training programs that are available to employees in job postings, interviews and reviews. It's a surefire way to attract and retain star talent.

Employers by and large concur: When it comes to hiring, an ideal candidate is one with experience. However, there's something else business owners also agree upon - experience isn't everything, especially when job candidates bring other desirable qualities to the table.

According to findings from the 2018 MRINetwork Performance Management Study, close to 80 percent of employer respondents either somewhat agree or strongly agreed with the statement that they're more likely to extend job offers to people with transferable skills, but who lack industry experience due to increased difficulty finding qualified talent.

Interestingly, however, candidates aren't always aware of employers' flexibility. Just 50 percent of respondents somewhat or strongly agreed that companies seriously consider applicants with tangible skills, but who lack industry experience.

This is a key finding for employers to recognize, one that they may consider factoring into how they advertise job openings, so candidates are fully aware.

That being said, candidates don’t always mention transferable skills on resumes or in interviews. Thus, businesses must endeavor to identify them during the hiring process.

Here are a few tips that can help you assess inexperienced job candidates whose marketable skills could make them the ideal people to fill open positions:

Look for signs of enthusiasm

Enthusiastic employees are engaged employees. When workers are excited about the job functions they serve, they're more likely to perform well because they're eager to learn, improve and achieve results. Try to spot evidence of potential workers’ passion for previous work, as well as for the job to which they're applying. This may be found in their resumes, such as if they were ever "Employee of the Month," but also in the interview itself.

Consider prescreening

The interview is only a small moment in time that provides a snapshot of what candidates are like and can offer. It can be difficult to identify all their transferable skills inside of 30 to 60 minutes. You may want to prescreen them so you have an idea of what they're like before they arrive.  Social media can provide a sneak peek into their backstory. In a recent poll conducted by CareerBuilder, nearly 60 percent of employers who acknowledged using social networking for researching job candidates did so to better identify their qualifications.

Fifty percent said they also used Twitter and Facebook to get a sense of their level of professionalism.

Seek manifestations of potential

Hiring solely based on experience can be tricky because it's not necessarily indicative of how well applicants will perform in the short-term, or the long-term. They may lack the temperament or desire to take their talents to new heights.

The ideal is a combination of both, noted Johansson Consulting CEO Anna Johansson. Writing in the Huffington Post, Johansson stated that potential is particularly worthwhile, because it’s more inclusive and broadens the pool of prospective hires. It also makes the hiring process in general less taxing.

“It’s a lot easier to find and hire a candidate who has potential than to track down someone who has years of experience and is available for hiring,” Johansson wrote. “A business is also much less likely to overrate potential than experience … which has become a problem over the years.”

How do you spot it? Experts say potential is manifested through indications of enthusiasm, such as curiosity, inquisitiveness, determination, insight and emotional intelligence. Asking probing questions can draw these qualities out.

No candidate is perfect, nor is any particular hiring method. However, being more open-minded and evaluating applicants beyond credentials and specific industry experience, can help employers hone in on the right person whose transferable skills can have a huge impact within the company.

In the executive, managerial and professional labor market, unemployment has been hovering around 2 percent, leaving companies across many industries struggling to find top talent.  In a survey conducted by The Wall Street Journal and executive advisory group Visage International, University of Michigan economist Richard Curtin discovered that "the biggest challenge confronting firms is their need to expand hiring in an already-tight labor market." As a result of increased competition for high performers, employers are now more willing to make concessions to move their organizations forward.

Here’s some advice that may help your organization with its hiring efforts:

Keep an open mind

When hiring managers look for potential employees, they often only focus on the ideal candidate who has all the desirable qualities for the role. It’s important to recognize that an applicant may not need to possess every single one of those qualities to become a great hire, and rigidly sticking to your list may mean that you lose out on a candidate who could be successful in your organization.

Someone can have exceptional educational and work backgrounds, and still fail at your organization if they aren’t a good cultural fit, or if they don’t share your core values. Think about the type of person who will fit in among your employees — the mentality they’d need to thrive and the interpersonal skills that will help them become part of the team.

After you draft a job description, revisit each requirement to determine if it is absolutely needed. You may find room for negotiation on professional designations or technical skill sets that would be nice to have but aren’t essential to the job. Look beyond your wish list to see who might thrive in your company’s environment even without all your ideal attributes.

Expand your talent pool

If you insist upon finding a candidate you don’t have to train, you could add months to your search for a new hire. You could probably train someone in that amount of time while also benefitting from the value that person may add in other ways as they ramp up. Look for coachable, high potential candidates who have transferrable skills that will help them overcome the lack of specific experience.

According to the 2018 MRINetwork Performance Management Study, nearly 80 percent of the employers surveyed agree or strongly agree that finding quality industry-experienced talent is more difficult than ever, and that their companies are more likely to hire people who have transferrable skills, but lack industry experience. .By considering those with transferable skills, you can significantly expand the number of applicants and focus on more general skills, such as organization, teamwork and communication, which might be just as important for the role, but are much less teachable than specific, technical skills.

Both employers and candidates see poor communication as a problem in this area, according to the study. Companies need to make it clear they are open to candidates who have applicable expertise, despite their lack of industry experience. Candidates need to focus on how they discuss transferrable skills during the interview process and demonstrate how those skills can be applied to a different industry.

Offer sign-on perks that attract candidates

The MRINetwork study also indicated that half of the surveyed employers are increasing the rate at which they offer sign-on perks. Among the top perks that organizations are willing to provide are company-paid health insurance, sign-on bonuses and moving expenses. Candidates are on the same page as employers about the desirability of these benefits, with 76 percent citing both sign-on bonuses and health insurance, and 54 percent citing moving expenses as most important to them. A number of employers stated they are willing to offer tuition reimbursement (33 percent) and even help in repaying student loans (23 percent) as incentives.

Employee perks can have a significant impact on your ability to attract desirable candidates and lower employee turnover. Some of the standard benefits packages offered by companies just aren’t cutting it, which is why many firms have decided to augment them in order to stay ahead of their competition for top candidates. As one hiring authority observed, “There are severe shortages of qualified employees in many sectors of the labor market. This makes it an employee’s market and it thus requires incentives (higher pay, bonuses, etc.) to acquire and maintain quality employees.”

An interesting finding of the survey suggested that while employers are boosting sign-on perks, many candidates are unaware of the potential perks they could be leaving on the table. Organizations will need to become more forthcoming about these perks during the hiring process and address the skepticism that some candidates have about sign-on perks. “Companies are willing to pay for one-time extras to get the people who best match or exceed their ideal candidate profile,” said one potential candidate, “but they may not, however, be willing to start at a higher compensation level.”

In a down market, candidates will be less demanding and more flexible with employers because they’re desperate. But in today’s market, applicants have numerous options, so it is imperative that that the way employers approach them and the advantages that are offered give candidates every reason to want to join a company.

By the time a candidate is brought in for an interview, initial screening through a resume and frequently a phone interview, have already warranted them a good match for your company - on paper that is. The objective of bringing the applicant into the office for an interview, is to get a clearer picture of their personality, work ethic and values. To do so, you'll need to elicit open, honest answers from the candidate.

Any candidate that makes it to the in-person interview stage is capable of doing their research, preparing for questions and prepping answers they believe the employer wants to hear. While this demonstrates commitment of time and consideration prior to the interview, you also want to ensure that the potential hire can think on their feet.

As Nancy Halverson, general manager of franchise operations for MRINetwork explained, the best way to draw unrehearsed answers is to ask unanticipated questions. "A few standard questions may be necessary to equal the playing field among candidates," said Halverson. "However, asking targeted and unexpected questions during an interview can produce genuine, natural responses that are more indicative of the job seeker's true character."

Halverson recommends considering the following unanticipated questions to find top talent who are the best cultural fits for you and your company:

1. What were you doing on your very best day at work?

As Fast Company reported, Lori Goler, head of people at Facebook asks most candidates this question who interview with the social media giant. She explained that it's a question that reveals a candidate's strengths and talents, which can then be compared against the company's needs.

Required to think critically and dig deep, interviewees will likely land on a day when they were the last one in the office, solving a long-existing problem or making a crucial breakthrough on a project. These snapshots into their past work experience can provide insight on how they will contribute to your company's bottom line and succeed in their career. Keep in mind however, that even non-monumental examples can be indicative of solid, consistent work ethic.

2. What was the most interesting encounter you've had in the past few months?

This unexpected interview question serves two purposes. First, you'll discover how the candidate responds and reflects on an experience that stood out to them. Was it an inspiring conversation with a homeless man? Or was it a tech discovery that unlocked a helpful shortcut? The encounter they choose, as well as their response, may demonstrate innovation, problem-solving or any other number of skills important to the job in question.

Secondly, the answer to this question will draw out creativity in top recruits. Important attributes for any successful employee, are creative thinking and the ability to ask questions, as CEO of the American Heart Association Nancy Brown told Fortune. Engaging in conversation and analysis is what she considers the "catalyst" to assessing all that might be possible.

3. What did you do on the day after Hurricane Irma or other major event?

Jodi Kantor, New York Times correspondent noted in Quora, that what you truly want out of any interview is the real-life experience of a person. When candidates can respond using true experiences they have been through, you will get the most telling and illustrative answers. A response to a natural disaster is telling yet not personally invasive, such as asking how the candidate spent the day after the 2016 election.

This targeted, straight forward question will elicit some of the most candid responses. As Kantor explained, hypothetical questions that have traditionally been common in interviews will not provide the answers you are looking for. Asking the candidate to describe their reaction to a major national or international event goes further than traditional "what if" questions.

"Again, asking the unexpected questions can help paint a full picture of your candidate," concludes Halverson. "From the way they think, react and respond, an answer to this kind of question conveys true character through spontaneity.

The “interview” represents the first get-to-know-each-other period for applicants and businesses that are hiring. It gives employers the ability to see whether candidates' descriptions on paper match what they portray in person. The interview serves the same function for candidates as well, providing a sneak peek into a company's day-to-day operations. However, when these initial conversations don't go as planned, both candidates and employers point to the same issue as the primary cause: poor communication.

That's according to recent data revealed in the 2018 MRINetwork Performance Management Study. When employers were asked to identify the biggest shortcomings among candidates they'd interviewed, a lack of communication skills (41 percent) was the most commonly cited response.

Interestingly, when candidates were asked a similar question - What are the greatest gaps or shortcomings of companies where you've interviewed most recently? - they too cited bad communication, particularly after final interviews, as the biggest problem of all, referenced by 36 percent of the individuals polled.

Ultimately, strong communication is extremely important in the interview process.

Here are a few suggestions for ensuring communication doesn't break down and that both parties walk away fully understanding one another:

Explain yourself

Candidates: The resume may provide a general idea of what you bring to the table, but it's really just an overview. When asked to elaborate on certain aspects of your resume, be prepared to expand on what you listed without embellishing. Twenty-eight percent of employers in the MRINetwork survey cited lying about credentials as an issue when interviewing candidates. In a separate poll conducted by CareerBuilder, 75 percent of human resource professionals said they'd caught job seekers in lies before.

Employers: Candidates come to the interview wanting to better understand the company beyond what they've independently researched. They're less than pleased when the question-and-answer session ends with as much information as when they came in. Ensure that the role they're seeking matches what was in the job description. Nineteen percent of candidates in the MRINetwork survey pointed to discrepancies in the scope and duties of the given role as a big interview turnoff.

Show evidence of having done your research

Candidates: Although you'll likely be receiving the bulk of the questions, you may be asked if you have any inquiries. Pose some that show you've done your homework, such as those that relate to the company’s strategy in its early days, asking how that compares with the goals the business has in the short- and long-term. Being naturally inquisitive about the direction of the company demonstrates a strong sense of engagement and interest in the role.

Employers: Job seekers devote time, money and energy into establishing their credentials, whether newly out of college or with several years under their belts. Their dedication deserves recognition. Come to the interview having looked over their resume. You may not need to know their education verbatim, but asking questions that probe certain aspects of their credentials can show genuine interest in their experience and serves as positive affirmation that they are being considered for the role.

Stay in touch afterwards

Candidates: Sending a thank you note is not only courteous, but it shows that you're highly interested in the job for which you’ve interviewed. Enthusiasm is a crucial component of landing a position. Thirty-seven percent of employers in the MRINetwork poll referenced lack of enthusiasm about the job as one of the top shortcomings among job seekers they'd evaluated.

Employers: Not knowing whether they got the job can be unnerving for candidates, especially when they feel like the interview went well. It’s also disrespectful of the time and effort the applicant has invested. Try to keep them in the loop even if you don't extend an offer. Approximately 1 in 3 candidates in the poll cited little to no communication after the interview as their biggest frustration.

Every interview can’t end in a job offer, but no good can come of the process when communication falls apart. It can also leave a bad impression of your organization that can be shared in the market place. Adhering to the above best practices can help ensure candidates and employers are on the same page, and have all the information needed to make the decisions that are best for them.

Remember when screening a candidate past the interview stage was limited to references and a credit, background or drug test? The growth of social media has introduced another dimension to the hiring process - that while on the surface appears positive, can present challenges in gaining a clear picture of a candidate - both socially and professionally. As social media is increasingly being leveraged to evaluate candidates, employers will need to determine what policies they will put in place to ensure consistency in the hiring process.

According to the 2018 Reputation Management Study conducted by MRINetwork, nearly half (48 percent) of candidates believe their social media presence is important or very important to potential employers. "They are aware that employers can now learn a lot about them prior to meeting with them, or even before contacting them, as they seek out candidates who have the skills and personalities that will be beneficial to their organizations," says Patrick Convery, marketing manager for MRINetwork. "Consequently, many job seekers are putting more of their social media profiles on private, or even setting up separate professional profiles, so their information can't be shared with the public."

While many employers casually review candidate social media profiles, the survey reveals that 18 percent are formalizing the process, and another 17 percent say they're considering doing so in the future. But what are they looking for? Although they want to learn something about the candidate's social life or the choices they make - 39 percent of hiring managers say questionable content or behavior is the No. 1 thing they look for - they are also looking to see if the job resume is consistent with the information posted on social media by the candidate. "LinkedIn and Facebook users typically add their place of work, the college they graduated from, their hometown, and where they're currently living," observes Convery. "Prospective employers can check this information to be sure that the candidate's resume is lining up correctly with their profile information."

The Pitfalls of Overreliance on Social Media in Hiring Decisions

Not everyone updates their social media to their current situation and there are still some candidates who do not yet have a social media presence. As employers check out candidates, they may inadvertently ignore someone who is a perfect fit simply due to their lack of a social media presence or inconsistent updating of their information. "If social network users have their profiles set to private, as is becoming more common after recent breaches in security, this means they don't want the world seeing what they post, which results in an absence of the kind of data employers are looking for to screen job applicants, says Convery."

Another risk that employers face when using social media information in the hiring process is a legal one. Employers have to be aware of the types of information they are selecting to use in the hiring process; it can be problematic to assess candidates based on their race or gender since this information is protected legally and cannot be taken into account when hiring, according to the Chicago Tribune.

CAUTION - If you learn of a candidate's protected characteristic(s) (including age, sex, race, color, religion, and national origin) by reviewing the candidate's social media sites, you may not allow that to influence your willingness to recruit and/or refer that candidate to your client. Likewise, you should not share that information with your team.

Creating a Consistent Policy on the Use of Social Media in Hiring

If your company reviews social media profiles, it's best to establish a policy around the use of candidates' online information in the hiring process that clearly outlines when online searches should and should not be used. "By identifying positions for which searches are an important element of the process, you can develop a standard approach for how these searches will be conducted and how the information will be used," says Anne Hayden, vice president of human resources for MRINetwork.

Hayden advises that you consider how to incorporate the following components into your policy:

-Clarity on the rationale for the use of searches

-Transparency for those using the policy and for candidates who are the subject of searches

-Consistency in terms of how searches are conducted and who conducts them

-Openness about what impact the findings will have on candidates

"When done correctly - and legally - looking at a candidate's personal profile can be a great hiring tool, but you will still gather the best insights from the personal interview, concludes Hayden. "Asking the right questions and encouraging an honest dialogue can help you get to know a candidate better than their latest post on Instagram and prevent you from passing up a great new employee."

Many candidates can interview well - but that doesn't necessarily mean they're the right person for the job. There are ways that you can improve your company's interview process to get a better sense of whether or not a candidate will be the right fit. At the same time, you can use the interview process as a way to market your company as a great place to work.

Here are some tips for revamping your interview process:

1. Ask behavior-based questions

Asking "What's your greatest weakness?" will only get you so far. These rigid types of questions don't give you much room to discover the true character of a job candidate. Instead, ask behavior-based questions to get a deeper understanding of candidates and uncover their values, Monster.com recommends. For example, ask questions like, "What does an ethical workplace look like to you?" or "What did you do when you felt like you were confronted with a situation that didn't agree with your values?"

2. Don't just listen to what they say, but how they say it

In addition to what an interviewee says, you should also pay attention to how they say it, such as how long it takes for them to answer, and if their answer is direct and delivered confidently. Asking creative, unexpected questions like "It's one year from now - what are you doing?" can lead to insight into a candidate's confidence levels - if they answer quickly, it shows they know themselves well and are confident in their work and career goals.

3. Listen for specifics...and if you don't get them, try silence

If you ask a candidate about a time they had to deal with a difficult client and they gloss over the details, over-emphasize that everything was fine or seem to ramble, they might be grasping at straws, or worse, stretching the truth. Sharing specific details shows that a candidate knows their stuff according to Mark Murphy, founder of Leadership IQ. Don't mistake using a lot of words as having actual expertise. If you're faced with a candidate like this, wait a few moments longer than usual before moving on to the next question - the candidate may feel compelled to provide further details. Frequently the more people talk, the easier it becomes to determine whether they are using fluff language or if they have real knowledge and experience.

4. Make the interview process a streamlined and coordinated effort

The interview isn't just a one-sided thing - it's also a reflection of your company. A drawn-out, clunky process can make high-quality candidates less interested in the position. Do your prep work and narrow down the interview to the questions that really matter. Keep candidates updated on their status every step of the way, as not hearing back from a company for weeks on end after an interview is off-putting. Make sure that if a candidate has to undergo multiple rounds of interviews with different team members, you have communicated interview questions amongst the team, so the candidate feels like everyone at your company is in the loop.

With these tips, you can revamp your interview process to be truly valuable for not only your company, but the candidate as well. Ultimately, improved interview practices can arm you with deeper insight into the full breadth and depth of each applicant's experience, while also providing the opportunity to deliver a positive impression of the organization that helps to reinforce your company brand in the marketplace.

In today's highly competitive job market, businesses can't afford to take a lackluster approach to recruitment and hiring. Not only can a bad hire lead to costly turnover, but it can also negatively impact the organizational performance of a business and, therefore, its bottom line.

According to the Society for Human Resources Management, the cost of replacing an employee could end up amounting to anywhere between 50 percent and a few hundred percent of the individual's yearly salary.

Never has it been more important for employers to hone in on a strategy to attract, onboard and retain top talent. However, this is often far easier said than done. Fast Company reported that two of the biggest reasons companies hire bad candidates can be attributed to needing to fill the position quickly, as well as the organization failing to test or research the skills of the candidate well enough.

"There are many factors that come into play when determining whether someone is a suitable candidate, including their skill set and background, as well as how well they fit within the corporate culture," says Nancy Halverson, general manager, franchise operations for MRINetwork. "To avoid the risk of costly hiring mistakes, there are key steps companies need to take - starting with getting a clearer picture of who their ideal candidate is."

Halverson recommends the following to help employers clearly define their ideal candidate:

Build a candidate profile

The more specific a business is about what its ideal candidate looks like, the better the chances of being able to identify and attract them. Too often, hiring managers cast a wide net in hopes that the top performers will simply come to them. But there needs to be a better, more specific definition of what that person looks like, the exact skill sets and experience they should have and what will be expected of them.

Not only does this help hiring managers, it also benefits candidates as well. According to Aberdeen Group, there is a disconnect between the expectations of employers and candidates, which contributes to higher turnover. Candidates also reported wanting a clearer definition of what the role and responsibilities are.

"Candidates want to know what to expect - both from the position and company," notes Halverson. "It's important that they're able to get a clear understanding of what working for a company would be like before applying - let alone committing - to a job."

Put competencies into context

As Lou Adler recently explained in a LinkedIn article, without context, hiring decisions are influenced by personal perceptions and biases, which are the leading cause of hiring mistakes. To avoid this, companies must clearly define roles and responsibilities, as well as the required traits and competencies for performing those functions - not just which ones they need, but why and how they will be used on the job. Additionally, how will the success of those competencies be measured?

The article also suggested outlining about five performance objectives explaining the task, an action verb detailing the role, followed by a measurable result.

"By outlining the attributes, characteristics and duties of the candidate ahead of time, employers will be better positioned to hire someone who fits the bill," says Halverson. These are the ingredients needed to create a performance-based job description which allow employers to minimize bias attributed to a lack of context and, in turn, reduce their risk of making costly hiring mistakes.