On occasion, I highlight an article written by Peter Weddle.  Peter is a nationally known author and consultant who specializes in dispensing career advice and explaining recruiting trends.  He has published a number of helpful books over the years and currently writes in his blog as well as other venues.

Recently, Peter published an article in his bi-weekly newsletter that opened my eyes to a trend that I believe could significantly aid those who have the responsibility of recruiting real estate agents.  The trend is a desire that many talented individuals have for some much needed “career security.”

Notice that I didn’t say job security.  Most people have come to the realization that job security is not something that a company can truly offer.  Why?  Because in an era of global competition, employer needs and circumstances change much more frequently and unpredictably than ever before.  Individual employers are not in a position to offer anyone security.

So, what’s “career security?”  According to Peter, career security is the ability of a person always to be employed, and always by an employer of their choice.  In essence, it is reinforcing a person’s ability and propensity to be gainfully employed in the future by helping him/her acquire the knowledge and skills needed to continuously succeed.

How can a real estate company do this? …By teaching each and every employee how to practice effective career self-management.  This is not far removed from the mentality needed to start and manage a real estate career.  I know this may sound crazy, but the rest of the employment world may be coming around to using the language that the real estate industry has been using for years!

It used to be that people went to school and then found jobs.  Now, there is a need to start a career that must be notoriously self-directed.  Peter points out that traditional companies are not very good at providing this insight and assistance to talented individuals:

"[Higher education and university] faculties work in ivory towers that were erected long before the advent of global competition and talent.  They simply don't realize that employers can no longer afford to provide career-long guidance and development for their employees.  Those workers must now do it for themselves.

The tragedy, of course, is that almost none of them know how.  Talented people are defined by their quest to excel – to be the best they can be in their profession, craft or trade – so they are acutely aware of this shortcoming.  Indeed, they more than any others in the workforce recognize the importance of this knowledge.  They want to know what they must do and how they must do it in order to build up the strength, reach and endurance of their career.

Any employer which fills that vacuum will send a powerful and differentiating message to top talent.  They are saying:  We care about you and want you to succeed, in our organization and successively wherever else you might be.  Yes, of course, we want you to work for us, but we also want you to work where you can grow and excel.  That may cause you to leave us at some point, but if you succeed successively, there's a good probability that you'll also come back.

Admittedly, it takes a brave organization to embark on such a strategy.  Because it teaches employees to take care of their own careers, it is, in some respects, their emancipation proclamation.  However, it is also a unique show of respect for the ultimate goal of those individuals.  And for the best talent, there's simply no more powerful and compelling reason to hire on.”

Is your organization willing to develop programs to meet this need?  For many in the real estate industry, it would not be a significant jump from what is already offered in terms of training, mentoring, and coaching programs.

The tricky part is crafting a recruiting marketing message that “connects the dots” for those who are seeking career security, but would not naturally see a real estate career as a destination for meeting that need.

Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.