What You Need to Know About Upskilling in the Age of AI

AI isn’t just transforming how we work; it’s reshaping our entire career landscape — from the way we apply for jobs to the skills we need to thrive. As we harness this powerful technology, it’s crucial to wisely navigate its challenges and responsibly leverage its potential. On the latest episode of Get Hired with Andrew Seaman, we hear from The Home Depot Chief Human Resources Officer Tim Hourigan and Johnson & Johnson Chief Human Resources Officer Peter Fasolo, Ph.D. about how AI and upskilling are becoming the cornerstones of career development in some of the world’s most influential companies.

A transcript of the conversation is available below. You can listen to the episode above or on Apple Podcasts by clicking here.

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Transcript: What You Need to Know About Upskilling in the Age of AI

Andrew Seaman: If you're looking for your next job right now or maybe you're fielding multiple job offers, one of the most important factors to consider is the potential for growth. For example, is there a clear path for you as an employee to acquire new skills and move up the career ladder? 

Today on the show, we're talking about how employers think about career development, particularly when it comes to upskilling, which is the process through which employees not only improve existing skills, but also, develop new ones. Upskilling is a critical piece of the labor market puzzle and will only become more important as new technologies, like AI, continue to infiltrate and reshape both blue and white collar work. So don't go away, we'll be right back after the break.

From LinkedIn News, this is Get Hired, a podcast for the ups and downs and the ever-changing landscape of our professional lives. I'm Andrew Seaman, LinkedIn Senior Managing Editor for Jobs and Career Development, bringing you conversations with experts who, like me, want to see you succeed at work, at home, and everywhere in between. 

Joining me today are two chief human resources officers, Tim Hourigan from Home Depot and Peter Fasolo from Johnson & Johnson. Together, they have more than 20 years of experience overseeing workforces of well over 100,000 employees. I kicked off my conversation with Tim by asking what career growth looks like at Home Depot.

Tim Hourigan: Well, we think of it in three categories, when I think about growth, so an associate joins and there's the typical hierarchical growth, how they move through the company, and I'll come back to that. There's two other aspects of growth, which we think position us uniquely in retail in general, but Home Depot specifically. The second aspect is you learn social skills. You learn how to work on a team, you learn how to deflect conflict, because in the customer environment, there's always a little bit of conflict. You learn how to problem solve. You learn how business works.

So that whole second cadre of skills benefit not only while they're with Home Depot, but whatever they happen to do in their career advancement. And the third and unique to us is we teach people how to take care of their homes. So if you think you're an associate at Home Depot and you're looking for growth opportunities, you come into the company and you learn about electrical, you learn about plumbing, you learn about painting, you learn about gardening. But then, on hierarchical growth, the cool part about Home Depot is, last year, in one year, one out of every six Home Depot associates saw career advancement.

Andrew: Oh, that's great.

Tim: Whether it was promotion to a supervisor, whether it was promotion from part-time role to a full-time role, whether it was to department supervisor to associate or assistant store manager or store manager, et cetera, one out of every six Home Depot associate saw growth last year.

Andrew: That's fantastic. And you mentioned the taking care of your home part, and I imagine that is a lot of training that they have to do. Because someone will show up and say, "I have to do this," and the Home Depot person has to sort of say, "Okay, well, I think you should take this approach."

Tim: Oh, exactly. Well, there's formal training, but there's also a tool we call Pocket Guide. And Pocket Guide is a mobile device that actually has product information and how-to information that enables the associate to transfer that to the customer. Because you're right, when you put on an orange apron, people expect you to become the instant expert, and we want to empower our associates to be able to do that.

Andrew: The Apple Genius Bar for life kind of.

Tim: Exactly. Exactly.

Andrew: And obviously, when you're learning all those skills, it's upskilling. You have to train people. So how does Home Depot approach that?

Tim: Well, there's a couple different ways. So first, in the store, there's identification opportunities where leaders look for associates who want to go to that next step, the ones who want to commit a little bit extra to grow their career. And then, there's defined classes, both remote, as well as in-person classes, to help them to grow that skill set. In addition, and a couple programs we're pretty exceptionally proud of actually is one is what we call our internship program. So like most companies, we have a formal internship program. The nuance for us is we allow half of those roles to be filled by existing Home Depot associates. So we have a cadre of associates that are extending their career, both at Home Depot and at college. Those folks are eligible to join our internship program in a formal way, just like folks that are pursuing a four-year degree.

We also have what we call the Career Mobility Program, which is similar to the internship program, but it's for associates that aren't trying to grow their career through college education. So it's existing hourly associates in our stores or distribution centers, that then apply for the Career Mobility Program. It's an eleven-week program similar to the internship program. And then, we have a program we call the OrangeMethod, which is specific skill development for those that might be inclined to move into software engineering.

Andrew: So basically, someone can join as an associate, and if they want to end up working on Home Depot's app or something, they actually have that path then?

Tim: If I can digress to a story.

Andrew: Oh yeah, please.

Tim: At the very first cohort of the Orange Method, there was a middle-aged lady who stood up at the class. It was graduation day, and I happened to be at the facility. And she stood up, and she said, "I was a single mom. I had four children, unexpectedly, divorced, and I had to come back into the workforce. So I was working at a contact center as an operator. I saw this program and I applied for it, and I was accepted. And now, I will be graduating as a software engineer, and I'm going to be able to provide for my four kids in a way I never thought I could do that."

And you see those types of stories, and the Home Depot has thousands and thousands of those stories. But it's that connection where you say, "Yes, come in and do the best work you can do today." People notice that, and then, you get an opportunity to grow your career and maybe in an unimagined way. And for this lady, I think about her frequently, her four kids now see their mom who had very tough circumstances and was able to overcome those circumstances and provide for them as they go forward. And that's what it's all about.

Andrew: Home Depot is unique, because the whole business is built around people doing things with their hands and building things, literally. So how are you viewing AI when it comes to your workforce?

Tim: Well, I'll tell you, Andrew, we've got every discipline you can imagine. So we're working our way into AI. Obviously, it's evolving quickly. We've been using AI for a lot of personalization relative to our customers, and from a HR standpoint or from a people standpoint, we see being able to use AI in improving capabilities of our associates and serving the customers. That's kind of our first use case. We also see AI as an opportunity to improve our ability to personalize the company's relationship with the associate. 

So when I think about the detail and the information I have on each associate, I can personalize the benefit offerings, for example, or career opportunities or tuition reimbursement, as they try to grow their career through advancing skills. So we're scratching the surface, but we see a lot of positive use cases.

Andrew: For people who are concerned about AI, and maybe you have associates or people who say, "Oh, I'm not sure about engaging,". What would your suggestion be for them on encountering AI?

Tim: I'd say that, with any new development, it's always a little scary for all of us. I would learn as much about it as I can, so read about it, understand what AI truly is. AI is used as a generic term, and as you know, Andrew, there's several different variations of that. I would say it is not going to replace work. It is going to augment work. And I think, with that lens, as you look at opportunities where AI can help you do your job better, I think you can leverage that to actually contribute in a greater way.

Andrew: When it comes to working at Home Depot and someone who says, "I would love a career there," what's your best advice for them?

Tim: Well, first of all, apply online and come through the process, but after you join Home Depot, do the best you can in every job. We're growing rapidly, so our business opportunities continue to expand in the traditional sense through stores, distribution centers, et cetera. But we're also expanding online. We're also expanding in our interconnected capabilities. So great growth opportunity. 

What I would tell that person and I do, I get the opportunity many times where people say, "Well, how do I grow my career?" Fulfill your commitments, show up on time. It sounds very basic, but in a basic entry-level role, show up on time and do what you're asked and then, ask, "What else can I do?" Always ask, "What else can I do to help?" And then, the second piece, which I think is linked to that very tightly, is continue to learn, be curious, ask questions. People see that, and they want people like that on their team. A great story for Home Depot, and it goes back 39 years, a young lady started with us as a part-time cashier. And today, she's the senior executive vice president running all of North America.

So you think about that and you say, yeah, 39 years ago, that happened. It happens today in our stores each and every day. People get promoted to department supervisor or assistant store manager or store manager, because they fulfill their commitments, they're inquisitive, they ask questions, and they ask, "What else can I do to help?" 

We believe in an inverted pyramid leadership model. So basically, with our associates at the top and our leadership in the middle, and then, our executive leadership at the bottom, and our jobs are to support each level above us. And part of that is I have a great need for talent. And so, I'm always looking for that associate level at the top to say, "How can I promote you, but actually move you down in the pyramid so you can support others?"

Andrew: And then, lastly, what is your advice for job seekers in general trying to navigate a complicated labor market?

Tim: The best advice I ever got is always remember to nurture your network. You have family friends, you have people you've worked with, you've had people you've gone to school with. depending where you are in your career, maybe some of your children's friends are in roles that you could leverage to understand. I would suggest you don't go and say, "Hey, can you give me a job?" That doesn't work, but if you could ask anyone to say, "Can you give me an insight into what skills do I need in order to be effective in your company or in your role?" But networking is by far, by far, the best way to grow your career and to get opportunities in any labor market including this one.

Andrew: Amazing. Well, thank you so much.

Tim: I appreciate it, Andrew.

Andrew: Yeah, I appreciate you. Thank you. That was Tim Hourigan, Chief Human Resources Officer for Home Depot. Coming up, I sit down with Peter Fasolo, Johnson & Johnson CHRO to discuss how AI is changing the upskilling conversation. 

Andrew: And we're back, this time with Peter Fasolo, Chief Human Resources Officer for Johnson & Johnson.

Peter Fasolo: J&J is the largest most diversified healthcare company in our industry. We have 140,000 associates around the globe, about 50,000 here in the US. We have roughly 16, 17,000 R&D scientists, biologists, chemists. We have over 10,000 engineers. We have a very diverse global workforce. And how do you keep a company of our size and magnitude together? You do it through a set of values at north star. If anyone knows anything about JJ, it's about our credo. We're 135 years, our credo, 80 years. And it's a very, very simple, simple way to keep everyone together through mission, purpose, and making sure that we serve patients and take care of your employees, give back to your communities. If you do those things well, the shareholder should get a fair return.

Andrew: When you look for people to join your workforce, and whether it's someone who's in the manufacturing process, logistics, or one of those research scientists, what do you look for in the talent when people come to apply or interview?

Peter: Well, certainly, we're looking for the fit with our culture. And what we have found at J&J is, if your personal mission fits the company mission, that everything else follows. And what I often say to people is, think about the company you want to join. Jobs will come and go. You'll have good jobs. You'll have challenging jobs. You'll have some good bosses, some average bosses. But if you find a company that really matches your personal values, and what's great about J&J is we're in the healthcare industry. It's very personal. It's very mission-driven. And it's very, very energizing and purposeful for our employees. And that's why most J&J employees who come to us will stay with us. They've got career opportunities, and they're really fulfilling their personal mission on behalf of patients.

Andrew: And obviously, when you want to progress in your career, there is growth that will happen on the job, but then, there's more purposeful upskilling.

Peter: Absolutely.

Andrew: So how does J&J approach that? Because I assume, especially to train a workforce as large as yours, it's not an easy feat.

Peter: And that's probably one of the most exciting things, Andrew, that's taking place in Johnson & Johnson right now, this massive upskilling of our employee base around the world. We have close to six to 7,000 what we call digital natives. These are people who are experts in AI, machine learning, robotics, visualization, but we also have an ecosystem of learning. We call it J&J Learn. We've digitized all of our learning content. So now, we have close to 70,000 of our employees already in the system who have expressed to us their aspirations, their skills, what they want to do. And one of the most common training programs we have is we call a digital base camp, where people are learning how to upskill in their current roles. And the most frequently domain skills right now are in AI, robotics, agile technology. And they're applying those skills in their current jobs today. Think of their jobs not only in their domains, but also, with technology in mind as well.

Andrew: Oh, really interesting. And I assume, from the talent side too, looking at a giant workforce, you probably see the potential to say, "Okay, we could use AI to actually sort of supercharge our workforce by finding the right fits for people, introducing it into the hiring process," things like that, right?

Peter: Absolutely. And what I'm very excited about, the use of AI and machine learning is how it really allows our employees to upscale and migrate up the value chain of their careers and other specific domains. So we can use AI machine learning to be more efficient, to take mundane tasks in employee inquiries, for example, or in reviewing contracts. And that will allow people to use their judgment and their skills more in higher order work. And we're seeing that happen within our workforce. We see it certainly within R&D, where people are using machine learning, AI, and other technologies, but also, in a lot of our enterprise functions and finance, HR, IT, people are now upskilling and using their judgments more for higher order problems, as opposed to, let's call it, the efficiency that are always part of everyone's jobs.

Andrew: And obviously, I think there's anxiety when new technology is introduced. And for workers, I think there's always, "Oh, is my job going to become obsolete?" What's your message to people who are fearful of that?

Peter: Well, I think what our view at J&J is we want to help you compete in your job, in the industry. And we're very, very optimistic that people's skills are transferable over time. So we're looking for people that will, we're looking to help them migrate their skills, so that they can compete within J&J and within our industry. So I think there is a benefit of reducing the, I'll call it, the administrative piece of your job, so that you can have more higher order problem solving. 

So I understand the fear, I hear that a lot, but we're not seeing huge disruptions in that regard. What we are seeing is people are more energized to apply their skills and their judgment to, again, more problem solving on behalf of patients. So yes, there are shifts going on. There's going to be some efficiency play within job domains, but that's why we have people upskilling, so that they can compete as the industry shifts on us in really, really positive ways.

Andrew: The idea is essentially that looking at your skills, instead of necessarily what your job title is, is a very helpful way for an employee to navigate the workforce. And do you see that really as the future to say maybe you are no longer just a logistics person, but you're now going to move into like R&D in some capacity?

Peter: Absolutely. And again, that comes back to the variety of opportunities we have at J&J, and fundamentally, although AI and machine learning and technology is a bit of a disruptor, we can't forget that it's an and statement. It's not or. So I want people to have this skills. I want them to be learners. We're always looking for people who have the potential to continue to learn and to make sure that their experiences are varied. So if you're a learner and you have varied experiences, and by the way, on the softer side, you still are a person and an employee and associate who cares for others, can manage others, that can work with diverse teams, that is a ticket for success. And I think you have to have, yes, the hard skills, migrate, learn, make sure they're varied, but you also need to continue to have the soft skills of EQ, caring, trust, and making sure you can work with diverse teams. That will never go away.

Andrew: And also, that's the thing that AI can't replace.

Peter: Absolutely.

Andrew: And then, lastly, for job seekers, you obviously see a lot of talent come through J&J's doors. Where do you see job seekers trip up? And what is your advice for not falling into those traps?

Peter: Well, you'll fall into a trap. You have to study the company, study your industry. You have to be prepared. So you should always approach a job interview with preparation, know the company, know the mission, and then, understand how you will contribute in your skills and your experiences to the mission of the firm.

Andrew: Well, thank you so much for your time.

Peter: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Andrew: That was Peter Fasolo, Chief Human Resources Officer for Johnson & Johnson. If you're leaving today's conversation with a new learning to apply to your job search or career, I'd like to invite you to write about it in a review on Apple Podcast. Our team really enjoys reading what you learn from our shows, plus it helps other people discover our community. Speaking of community, remember that we're always here, backing you up and cheering you on. 

Connect with me, Andrew Seaman, and the Get Hired community on LinkedIn to continue these conversations. In fact, subscribe to my weekly newsletter that's called, you guessed it, Get Hired, to get even more information delivered to you every week. You can find those links in the show notes. And of course, don't forget to click that follow or subscribe button to get our podcast delivered to you every Wednesday, because we'll be continuing these conversations on the next episode right here, wherever you like to listen. 

Get Hired is a production of LinkedIn News. The show is produced by Grace Rubin and Emily Reeves. Assaf Gidron engineered our show. Joe DiGiorgi mixed our show. Dave Pond as head of news production. Enrique Montalvo is our executive producer. Courtney Coupe is the head of original programming for LinkedIn. Dan Roth is the editor-in-chief of LinkedIn. And I'm Andrew Seaman. Until next time, stay well and best of luck.