Future of Work Sources Candidates Through External Referrals: Companies will need to look to external referrals as a new candidate pipeline. Relying on the standard model of posting on a job board and waiting for applicants isn’t going to cut it anymore in the tough competition for quality talent. Sourcing via referrals gives hiring managers a unique understanding of applicants’ capabilities that may otherwise fly under the radar when just reviewing a resume.
When it comes to designing the future of work, one size fits none. Discovering success isn’t about a hybrid model or offering remote work options. Individuals and organizations are looking for more freedom. The freedom to choose the work model that makes the most sense. The freedom to choose their own values. And the freedom to pursue what matters most. We reached out to successful leaders and thought leaders across all industries to glean their insights and predictions about how to create a future that works.
As a part of our interview series called “How Employers and Employees are Reworking Work Together,” we had the pleasure to interview Ryan Agresta.
CEO Ryan Agresta founded Candidate in January 2020, a dual sided tech platform that makes it easier for employers to find talent and build more inclusive and diverse teams. Prioritizing more than what’s visible on an applicants’ resume, Candidate’s model adds a human touch point via the inclusion of a personal referral, bringing added credibility and efficiency to the hiring process. Employer partners include hundreds of startups, tech companies, and publicly traded ventures based in Seattle, San Francisco, New York and beyond. Candidate is a seed stage startup with backing from Voyager Capital, Positive Sum, BAM Ventures, and more.
Thank you for making time to visit with us about the topic of our time. Our readers would like to get to know you a bit better. Can you please tell us about one or two life experiences that most shaped who you are today.
Yes, I’m happy to share a couple of life experiences with you that helped to shape who I am today. I was fortunate to be a part of multiple rapid growth companies including Amazon where I worked as a Program Manager and from there went to Uber where I focused on supply growth and engagement. An opportunity was presented for me to join Convoy, which is revolutionizing the trucking and freight industry, during its early stages. I was excited by the amount of responsibility the position offered and by the potential of carving out my own role.
In late 2019 while still working at Convoy, my own experiences with hiring led me to begin developing a hypothesis about how employers and managers would need to adjust to the future of work. The pain points of traditional workplace practices became all the more apparent to me. I saw the passion my colleagues had for helping their networks find meaningful work opportunities, but they were limited in how they could help. It was all about who you knew and how connected you were. I started to develop a plan for a hiring model based on external referrals and skills-based prioritization of candidates, the building blocks that ultimately lead to the creation of Candidate.
Let’s zoom out. What do you predict will be the same about work, the workforce and the workplace 10–15 years from now? What do you predict will be different?
I predict the workplace in 10–15 years will continue to be a mix of hybrid, fully remote and fully in person work. These decisions on how best to structure the workforce of the future will be up to the discretion of company leaders. There will be wildly varying perspectives, all with pros and cons. For the foreseeable future, all three scenarios will remain as options for structuring a productive workforce.
What I’m confident will look drastically different is how talent and employers connect in the future will be different. Both employers and job seekers are tired of the endless numbers game- hundreds of applications with way-too-many resumes to review. A variety of approaches will challenge the standard models for top of funnel hiring.
What advice would you offer to employers who want to future-proof their organizations?
The advice that I’d offer to employers who want to future-proof their organizations is to invest in re-skilling and training of existing employees. There are a wide variety of professional education platforms available for reskilling. Maven is one we’ve recommended using in addition to software such as SkyHive to help employers understand where they can reskill employees.
What do you predict will be the biggest gaps between what employers are willing to offer and what employees expect as we move forward? And what strategies would you offer about how to reconcile those gaps?
The biggest gaps between what employers are willing to offer and what employees expect as we move forward will be flexibility and the specific type of working arrangement required. Both employers and employees need to be fully transparent during the hiring process in order to avoid problems later on.
Pay transparency is another big gap as we move forward. Employees want this pay transparency to be standard procedures during the hiring process. Yet, many employers will continue to be reluctant unless it is mandated at a state level. I’d advise employees to be consistently evaluating their compensation (see Syndio) and employers must continue to move toward eliminating all pay disparities.
We simultaneously joined a global experiment together last year called “Working From Home.” How will this experience influence the future of work?
There’s no right answer as to the optimal way of working in the future of work. The ideal state has a range of options to fit different workers’ needs. Giving people the flexibility to work where and when they need to is a valuable lesson we learned last year while we were forced to work remotely. Allowing employees to choose how they want to work can promote more inclusive cultures once things like commutes are removed from the job requirements. This can lead toward hiring in diverse communities and allowing parents to decide which work environment best fits with responsibilities at home.
The experience of working from home forced us to have less connectivity at work. Working from home, unfortunately gives us less time to relate to one another, build professional relationships and become engaged in the company culture.
According to Microsoft’s latest research, which polled 20,006 full-time employees across the globe between July and August 2022 about what would motivate them to come into the office, socializing with co-workers trumped a better work set-up.
We’ve all read the headlines about how the pandemic reshaped the workforce. What societal changes do you foresee as necessary to support a future of work that works for everyone?
Companies need to invest in communities that are historically underserved in order to start to break down the barriers that hold up the wealth gaps in our country. Corporations, investors and individuals need to do their part to realize that good for business can equal good for society and are necessary to support a future of work that works for everyone. Collectively as a country dedicated to creating optimal workforces of the future we need to make conscious, thoughtful decisions that empower all levels of workers.
What is your greatest source of optimism about the future of work?
My greatest source of optimism about the future of work is an increasing awareness and effort around DEI, particularly in the tech industry. I’m excited by the companies that are investing in reaching diverse audiences for recruiting, building inclusive cultures, and analyzing pay discrepancies more than ever.
Our collective mental health and wellbeing are now considered collateral as we consider the future of work. What innovative strategies do you see employers offering to help improve and optimize their employee’s mental health and wellbeing?
Many employers are offering tangible benefits that relate directly to mental health — subscriptions to mindfulness apps, services that help employees find licensed therapists, etc. Another strategy that employers are adapting to is to offer flexibility in terms of work location and time in the office. This allows employees to deal with what they need to handle in their personal lives, and support their overall wellbeing.
It seems like there’s a new headline every day. ‘The Great Resignation’. ‘The Great Reconfiguration’. And now the ‘Great Reevaluation’. What are the most important messages leaders need to hear from these headlines? How do company cultures need to evolve?
Employees are looking for more than just a paycheck. Before accepting a job offer, prospective job candidates often want to understand the work culture, growth opportunities, flexibility and how the employees’ overall wellbeing is being supported by the company.
Company leaders need to have a deep focus on employee retention, examining growth opportunities, investing in benefits, ensuring there are training/reskilling programs place, and building an equitable work environment. These are all areas that employers can closely evaluate and evolve their company culture as needed.
Let’s get more specific. What are your “Top 5 Trends To Track In the Future of Work?”
1.Future of Work Leans Into Flexibility: Giving people the flexibility to work where and when they need to is going to continue to be important as we reshape the future of work. Allowing employees to choose how they want to work, at home or in the office or a hybrid situation can promote more inclusive cultures once things like commutes are removed from the job requirements. This can lead toward hiring in diverse communities, allowing employees to decide which work environment best fits with responsibilities at home and increases overall employee satisfaction and commitment.
2. Future of Work Sources Candidates Through External Referrals: Companies will need to look to external referrals as a new candidate pipeline. Relying on the standard model of posting on a job board and waiting for applicants isn’t going to cut it anymore in the tough competition for quality talent. Sourcing via referrals gives hiring managers a unique understanding of applicants’ capabilities that may otherwise fly under the radar when just reviewing a resume.
3. Future of Work Focuses on Skills-based Hiring: Skills-based hiring focuses not on candidates’ direct prior experience, but instead on the transferable skills they may be able to offer a new role. The belief that skills can be taught, but experience can’t, can leave many candidates out of hiring pools– new candidates seeking a career pivot, or those highly qualified, but lacking traditional backgrounds. This not only does a disservice to candidates, but also to employers who may miss out on quality talent if they prioritize previous experience above all else.
4. Future of Work Seeks to Diversify Talent Pools: Traditional hiring practices can exclude historically underrepresented groups by, for example, valuing certain degrees while failing to take into account the access and privilege necessary to gain them. While job postings can certainly include specific requirements, a more holistic look at applicants can expand the talent pool by focusing on the qualities truly needed for success.
5. Future of Work Supports the Wellbeing of Workers: Job seekers want to know where potential employers stand not only on office environments, but also important issues. They want employer commitment on all aspects of their wellbeing, their families, and their communities. The shift we’ve seen in work and will continue to see is forcing companies to think about the ways in which they offer value to employees outside of just pay. It’s helping employees feel like they’re well taken care of proactively–it’s about not putting it on an employee to ask for what’s fair, but rather providing it in advance.
I keep quotes on my desk and on scraps of paper to stay inspired. What’s your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? And how has this quote shaped your perspective?
“Nothing beautiful in the end comes without a measure of… frustration” which is a quote from The Book of Joy (Archbishop Demond Tutu and the Dalai Lama). It’s a helpful reminder to me when I’m experiencing some of the struggles of entrepreneurship that this is a journey filled with highs and lows, and the difference between the two is what makes it so rewarding.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He, she, or they might just see this if we tag them.
I’ve been a follower and reader of the work of Simon Sinek — I got thrown into leadership roles almost immediately upon graduating school, and most of my lessons learned about leading others came through trial and error. Reading Simon’s work has helped me to think through my own leadership style and how I can positively impact those around me.
Our readers often like to continue the conversation with our featured interviewees. How can they best connect with you and stay current on what you’re discovering?
Connect with me on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagresta/ and follow our company, Candidate — https://www.candidate.co/learn/
Thank you for sharing your insights and predictions. We appreciate the gift of your time and wish you continued success and good health.