A new program sponsored by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development wants to help employers find the top talent they need as they expand their current workforce. The DWD hopes this new tool will help both employers and employees in the local community who have been impacted by the recent pandemic.
Why Is Talent So Scarce?
Among other things, the upheaval from the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted a significant portion of today’s workforce. Initially, lockdown mandates forced many employers — especially those who couldn’t operate their business remotely, to remove a large part of their workforce. Once businesses were able to reopen, many found their former employees had long since moved on to other opportunities, perhaps even in other regions of the country. Since so many businesses found themselves in precisely the same predicament, the search for quality employees has become extremely competitive in many regions of the country.
Highlights of the Hoosier Talent Network in Indiana
Next Level AI – One of the main goals of the new network is to streamline the process of fostering the right connections between employers and the candidates who have the skills they need. With this in mind, the Hoosier Talent Network creators decided to take advantage of the latest in ai (artificial intelligence) technologies.
Incorporating AI helps to finely tune the process of matching employers looking for a desired skill set with candidates possessing those exact skills. Using AI also allows job seekers to take advantage of the higher level of intelligence that is infused into the process of finding an employer that is right for them.
Increase Retention – Part of the reason for incorporating artificial intelligence technologies into the talent network is to give greater insight to employers as to what a potential candidate truly offers in terms of talents and skills. By having a better understanding of each potential candidate and what they have to offer, employers will be able to make better hiring decisions. In turn, better hiring decisions lead to better outcomes in terms of retention.
Improve Local Communities – Hiring locally serves both local businesses (large and small) as well as the greater local populace. Thriving companies benefit everyone. As companies become more prosperous, they typically hire more people within the resident community. Certain types of businesses become better equipped to provide a wider variety of products and services for neighborhood consumers. In addition, the tax revenues that communities receive from local businesses help to serve the greater populace at large.
How It Works
The process for job seeking individuals and companies to simply browse or create an account on the Hoosier Talent Network is fairly simple.
Employers – From their home page, employers will want to click on the “Employer” link in the upper right-hand corner, then click on the “Get Started” button. Next, the user will be asked to create an employer account, followed by an opportunity to post job openings. Employers are given a robust feature to describe their open position.
Job listings for each individual employer also provide potential candidates with helpful insights such as job skills of previously hired candidates, years of experience, and job titles — all of which can help job seekers understand what a specific employer looks for when hiring.
Job Seekers – From the network home page, job seekers can either click on the “Create Your Profile” button to create their profile and upload a resume, or they can use the helpful search feature to browse the job listings. When searching for positions, candidates can search by job title, keyword, or company, and they can also filter by “skills”, “titles”, “departments”, or “experience”.
If you would like to know more about how Indiana’s new Hoosier Talent Network AI capabilities can help you find the extraordinary talent you need for your business, please contact us.
