Exploring Skills-Based Hiring
Without the right hiring process for your business, finding the right-fit talent can be a challenge. The traditional hiring process, which relies on CVs and formal interviews, may not be the only approach to help you find the best person for your team.
Skills-based hiring, which focuses on a person's skills and abilities rather than their qualifications on paper, can help your business discover who might best fit the role you're hiring for.
The traditional hiring process:
The traditional hiring process has long been the norm for many businesses. It typically involves posting a job advertisement, reviewing resumes, conducting interviews, and making a decision based on qualifications and a candidate's perceived fit in the company. While this approach is successful, it may not fully assess a person's true capabilities and potential. As a result, businesses may miss out on talented people who possess the necessary skills but lack the conventional requirements.
Challenges with the traditional hiring process:
One of the main challenges with the traditional hiring process is a reliance on CVs that need to align with strict requirements of a company's job advert. Additionally, interviews may also be influenced by impressions that are based on the lack of traditional qualifications, which could lead to missed opportunities to find the right talent.
The rise of skills-based hiring:
To recognise possible limitations of the traditional hiring process, consider embracing skills-based hiring where appropriate. This approach focuses on assessing a person's skills, knowledge, and abilities rather than solely relying on factors such as traditional education experience. By considering the importance of skills, businesses can identify candidates who have the potential to excel in a specific role, even if they may not meet their exact specifications.
Benefits of skills-based hiring:
Skills-based hiring offers numerous benefits for both employers and candidates. For employers, the approach can help deeper assess a candidate's abilities. By focusing on skills, businesses can attract a more diverse pool of candidates who may have acquired their skills through unconventional means. This diversity may bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to the company.
From a candidate's perspective, skills-based hiring may offer a fairer opportunity to showcase their abilities. People who have acquired valuable skills through non-traditional paths can demonstrate their strengths and their fit for a role. The approach can help employers recognise the potential in candidates who may have been overlooked in the traditional hiring process.
How to implement skills-based hiring
To implement skill-based hiring, you may need to revaluate your current hiring process. Here are some steps to help consider the new approach:
Identify the key skills: Consider the tasks, responsibilities, objectives and skills associated with the role.
Revise job descriptions: Update job descriptions so that they consider required skills as well as formal qualifications. It will be helpful to potential candidates to clearly see the skills and competencies needed to succeed in the role.
Develop skills-based assessments: Create skills-based assessments that accurately measure a candidate's abilities. These assessments can take the form of practical exercises, simulations, or online tests designed to evaluate specific skills.
Train hiring coordinators: Provide training to the hiring team on how to evaluate skills effectively. This might include guiding them on what to look for during interviews and how to interpret the results of skills-based assessments.
Promote skills-based hiring internally: Encourage a culture of skills-based hiring within the business. Emphasise the importance of providing opportunities for employees to develop and showcase their own skills.
Assessing skills effectively:
Here are some strategies to help your evaluation:
Use practical exercises: Incorporate practical exercises into the hiring process to assess candidates' skills in action. This could include problem-solving tasks, role-playing scenarios, or hands-on projects relevant to the role.
Consider work samples or portfolios: Request work samples or portfolios from candidates that demonstrate their skills in real-world scenarios. This will allow you to assess the quality of their work and gauge their level of expertise.
The role of Carron Connected in skills-based hiring:
Using Richard’s seventeen years of industry time-served experience, Carron Connected can help identify the potential skills and right-fit people for your team.
Looking to re-evaluate your hiring needs? Call Richard today for a chat