The Three L's

Written by Dominic Moore April 2020

Every day we talk to people about their needs and wants when it comes to securing their next career opportunity.  Similarly, we also talk to hiring managers about their companies, the sector in which they operate, what problems they are facing and how people can help to solve these and move them forward.

Many years of these conversations allow us to recognise patterns - teasing out the most salient points: those common statements or requests that come up again and again, no matter what level of person you are talking to or role you are looking to hire.

So, what are these?  For me, they distil down into three main categories, or the 3 L’s as I call them: Landing, Learning and Leveraging:

Stage 1: Landing
Key question for candidates: Why is this the right landing point for me as the next step in my career?

Key question for clients: Why is this role the right landing point for someone as the next step in their career?

Further questions to address beneath this include: Is the salary and benefits package where it needs to be?  Is the title attractive and does it make sense from a career story perspective?  Is the leader someone people will want to work for and to learn from?  Is the team populated with people I want to spend time with?  Is the industry an interesting place to be; is it facing headwinds or does it have strong tailwinds?  Is the company winning within its sector, or is undergoing a turnaround phase?  Is the role interesting and does it deliver impactful work?  Does the office location work and what does work-life balance/flexibility actually look like?

Stage 2: Learning
Key question for candidates: Does this role provide the right learning opportunity for me?

Key question for clients: How can we support the continued development of our people?

Further questions to address beneath this include: What visibility does the team have across the organisation and with the leadership team?  Does the work develop deeper expertise in what the company does and the industry in which it operates?  Does the team invest in training and development initiatives?  Will the organisation support external study?  How does the organisation mentor high-potential individuals to be successful within its ranks?

Stage 3: Leveraging
Key question for candidates: Does this role provide leverage beyond this initial landing point?

Key question for clients: How do we help team members grow their careers beyond this team?

Further questions to address beneath this include: What track record does it have of upwards promotion within the team?  What track record does the team have of individuals moving out into alternate roles within the business?  What is the optimal time to spend in the team to get access to such opportunities?  Does this team provide someone with a great starting point within an industry but then they move elsewhere after a period of time?  Does the organisation provide global mobility opportunities?

Understanding and addressing the 3 L’s will help both those looking for a new role and those looking to hire: If you are seeking a new opportunity these will help you understand what great looks like; If you are a hiring manager these will help you frame and sell an opportunity in order to attract the best possible person into your team and for the organisation beyond.  Irrespective of economic cycles the war for talent continues and being positioned for success remains essential.