The job market will always ebb and flow - sometimes it favors candidates, sometimes employers. But let’s face it - there are always highly skilled roles that are at a candidate deficit (I’m looking at you, accounting), and if you’re hiring one of these roles, you might find yourself without a strong slate of candidates when you post a position.
There is something to be said about being selective, but as we discussed in last month’s blog, there are many candidates who have transferable skills that could be highly beneficial additions to your team. In fact, many internal Talent Acquisition and HR teams are retraining their hiring managers to focus on skills-based hiring. Skills-based hiring focuses on interviewing and assessing a candidate based on the skills needed to be successful in any given role, versus focusing on their educational pedigree or the exact companies/industries where they’ve worked previously.
Making the shift to skills-based hiring takes time, but if you’re a hiring manager struggling to fill an in-demand position right now, here are some steps you can take to start transitioning your hiring process to focus on skills over experiences.
Learn about your own biases. We all have biases - the trick is to identify and challenge them. Unconscious bias often leads teams to favor candidates with traditional credentials. Work with your HR team or look for online training opportunities that will help you better understand your biases and triggers. The more you understand your biases, the easier you may find it to evaluate applicants based on demonstrated skills rather than pedigree.
Start with your skills wishlist. Rather than listing out rigid educational requirements or years of experience, focus on the core competencies needed for success in the role you’re hiring. These competencies might be technical in nature (sometimes called “hard skills” - like a software programming language or payroll knowledge) or more non-tangible in nature (“soft skills” - like leadership or communication). You could also consider your current team’s gaps and focus on the competencies that will round out your team’s capabilities. Distinguish which of these skills are absolutely essential for success, and which can be taught or learned on the job.
Identify transferable vs non-transferable skills. Let’s be honest - most skills and knowledge are transferable. Someone who has recruited for software engineers can hire sales people; they may not have used your exact applicant tracking system, but if they have learned how to research, interview, and assess capabilities in one area, they can most likely apply that to another. That being said, you wouldn’t hire someone to run your Workday implementation with zero knowledge of Workday. It’s important to distinguish which skills are truly not transferable based on the desired outcome of that person’s role.
Revamp your job description. Shift the language of job postings to highlight the actual work to be performed and the specific skills required. Use clear, inclusive language and avoid unnecessary jargon or industry-specific terms that may alienate nontraditional candidates. Be sure to identify the skills that are absolutely essential versus those that are “nice-to-have” and might allow someone to make an impact more quickly.
Look beyond conventional talent pools. Consider candidates from boot camps, certificate programs, apprenticeships, and self-taught professionals. Encourage your recruiting partners to look for candidates in declining industries where their talents may be underutilized. Identify internal candidates who may be able to grow their career in this position. You may uncover hidden talent by engaging with alternative education programs, workforce development initiatives, and nontraditional pipelines.
Build a structured interview process. Once you know who you need to hire, you can design an interview process that focuses on evaluating the candidate’s skillset and involves only key decision-makers over the course of 3-4 conversations. Use generative AI to build skills-focused interview guides for you and your key decision-makers.
Adopt skills assessments. Supplement traditional resume screening with practical skills assessments like coding challenges, financial modeling exercises, case studies, or hands-on simulations relevant to the role. These assessments can help objectively measure a candidate's capabilities rather than relying solely on their work history.
Continue to innovate. Roles morph as companies grow. Don’t assume that what worked to fill a role before will work again. While you don’t have to start completely from scratch with each new search, we recommend re-evaluating those necessary skills with each hire, ensuring that you’re setting your new hire and team up for success.
Even if you have a plethora of candidates, focusing on skills over work history will most likely lead to a better hire for your team - and will help you hire great talent whether it’s an employer-driven or candidate-driven job market. If you need help finding top talent or making the switch to a skills-focused hiring approach, SymphonicHCM is here to help.
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