To build a successful team and make smarter hiring decisions, you obviously need to attract skilled candidates for open positions. It may be tempting to assemble a laundry list of qualifications, such as degrees and years of experience, to find the right applicants. But as the competition for talent continues at a blistering pace, including too many requirements could needlessly shrink your talent pool and prevent you from finding strong candidates for the position.
To attract the talent they need, savvy hiring managers are taking a different approach. They are qualifying candidates based on their skills, competencies, and transferable experience rather than on their credentials.
Deborah Elam is president and CEO of Corporate Playbook, a business consulting firm that helps organizations sharpen their focus on diversity and inclusion. A former long-time executive at GE, Elam has this to say about shifting to a skills-based hiring approach:
“Many candidates will gain competencies from experience outside the bounds of traditional education and work. Certificate programs, community college, workforce development training, the military, volunteering, or caretaking – all of these are opportunities for acquiring skills…The old way of thinking doesn’t work anymore.”
Elam cites the example of a person who’s been out of the workforce for a while but has managed a successful fundraiser for their child’s schools. That effort would likely entail project management, financial acuity, and the fine art of persuasion—skills that may be relevant for the job under consideration.
There are many other examples:
A squad leader in the military may not have held a traditional managerial role, but they could be highly skilled at setting direction and motivating people, often in high-pressure situations.
A former waiter new to an online customer support role might thrive, as waiting on tables requires the ability to multi-task, prioritize diners’ needs, and communicate clearly with kitchen staff.
Indeed, managers sometimes do need to hire someone with traditional, formal credentials. Some jobs require schooling and certifications, such as flight engineers or healthcare workers. But a degree from a renowned university doesn’t automatically translate into relevant skills, however impressive it might look on paper.
I read recently about a bank that changed its hiring practices when it came to staffing branch locations. They wanted to hire members of the communities they serve, but their requirement of a four-year degree for some positions was limiting their pool of applicants. They rethought the job requirements and determined that strong people skills and a curiosity about numbers—as evidenced by community college business courses—were what they really needed. As a result, they were able attract more applicants and increase the diversity of the bank’s team of employees.
Elam has more to say here:
“Ultimately, you’re helping your organization if you’re thinking in the broadest way possible about skills and experiences, and what it means to be qualified. You will bring people into your organization with different experiences and perspectives. This can lead to new approaches and innovations—giving your organization a true competitive advantage.”
When making smarter hiring decisions, there’s another important element to keep in mind. Given the rapid pace of change—a pace that shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon—it’s not enough to hire based on today’s skills. The skills an employee will need in a few years may differ from those required at the time they were hired.
That’s why it’s critical to look for signs of learning agility: evidence that the prospective employee isn’t just focused on the here and now, but has demonstrated in the past that they’re able to jump in and acquire new skills. For example, the JavaScript programmer who takes a Python course. The event planner who develops expertise in delivering virtual events. The English-speaking marketer who learns Spanish.
When it comes to hiring, we’re in a new world. If you can shift to a skills-based mindset—and ensure that those you hire continually acquire new skills—you not only gain access to a wider and richer set of job applicants. You also help future-proof your organization.
https://www.harvardbusiness.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/desola-lanre-ologun-IgUR1iX0mqM-unsplash-scaled.jpg 1707 2560 Janice Molloy /wp-content/uploads/2018/12/HBPubCorpLearn_wide_crimson.svg Janice Molloy 2022-05-19 08:00:08 2022-08-23 12:15:03 Smarter Hiring Decisions Start with Skills
Subscribe to our RSS feed and stay up to date.
Google Chrome user?
Change isn’t easy, but we can help. Together we’ll create informed and inspired leaders ready to shape the future of your business.
© 2024 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School.
