Advocating for employees’ career success can be accomplished via sponsorship, mentoring, and coaching. These share the theme of championing outstanding individuals for their skills, expertise, and knowledge. While these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, nuances differentiate each approach.
- Sponsorship helps employees acquire opportunities and advancement they may not have access to. Leaders sponsor employees by supporting their ideas when overlooked, inviting them to the table, and endorsing them for advancement.
- Mentorship is supporting someone in building skills, learning, or otherwise growing professionally or personally. It’s relationship-based and may be mutually beneficial for the mentor and mentee.
- Coaching focuses on development for specific outcomes through ongoing feedback and support.
The Role of Advocacy
Most job seekers—57% in the U.S. and 63% in Canada—aren’t interested in climbing the corporate ladder, according to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment International, parent company of Specialized Recruiting Group. This widespread disinterest underscores the importance of recognizing and advocating for those who are.
Advocacy is about helping individuals reach their career goals. It involves recommending qualified, motivated employees for new opportunities, amplifying their ideas, and endorsing their growth. True advocacy is personal, respectful, and empowering.
These goals may lie beyond your organization. Whether advancement is limited, responsibilities are mismatched, or employees’ aspirations are unfulfilled, part of advocacy is offering support, even if it means helping someone move on. This may include serving as a reference, writing a letter of recommendation, or connecting them with your network.
Ways to advocate for your employees:
- Support reskilling and upskilling. Allocate a budget for training, workshops, and certifications to support career development.
- Share employees’ accomplishments, significant projects, and ideas with your boss. Make sure your boss is familiar with your team members and their achievements, especially those who have expressed interest in climbing the ladder.
- Use curiosity to learn employees’ perspectives and ways of thinking. If you can understand how their mind works, you can better speak about their processes, workflows, and how they approach work. Unique ways of accomplishing the company’s goals can be an asset to leadership and set this employee apart in their career pursuits.
Advocating for employees is about more than climbing the corporate ladder. It recognizes potential, opens doors, and supports growth in all forms. Whether through mentorship, coaching, or sponsorship, your advocacy as a leader is valuable and can shape careers.
About Specialized Recruiting Group
Specialized Recruiting Group (SRG) is in the business of people. SRG supports local business communities and professionals seeking new career opportunities by offering an individual approach to professional staffing placements. For more information, visit SRGPros.com.
The Job Insights survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment International, parent company of Specialized Recruiting Group, June 13–26, 2023, among 1,010 U.S. hiring decision-makers. The Job Insights survey was conducted within Canada by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment International, parent company of Specialized Recruiting Group, June 8–22, 2023, among 507 Canadian hiring decision-makers. For complete survey methodology, please contact Communications@ExpressPros.com.
