Blog | Employment & HR
20th November 2023
As recruitment challenges linger for many businesses in certain sectors, should we just be looking at the “hard” skills of someone’s educational background and qualifications when it comes to recruiting new employees? Or should there be more emphasis be put on “soft” skills such as empathy, emotional intelligence, team working and communication?
It goes without saying that a balance of both makes perfect sense when looking to recruit the right people who are the best fit for your company. But throughout 2024, we think we’ll see skills-based hiring on the rise, as organisations look to recruit forward-thinking employees at reduced costs, helping businesses get hiring right the first time round whilst also creating a more diverse workforce.
By focusing on specific skills and abilities, rather than qualifications and education, it ensures a much better match between candidates and the role you’re recruiting for. On the whole, recruiters are five times more likely to look for skills over degrees.
Gone are the days where a central focus is on qualifications and which school or university you attended (or didn’t). It no longer makes sense to dismiss applicants because they don’t have the right degree from the “perfect” university. It’s hardly surprising that businesses in several sectors are struggling to fill vacancies or employ the right people when they’re only looking at their education.
With skills-based recruitment, we move away from this limited approach and focus more on what skills are really required for the job, allowing businesses to assess the skills or competencies, with questions or tasks that tease out how well a candidate will perform in the real world of work.
CVs are often unreliable because they can exaggerate a candidate’s experience or over-inflate someone’s skill set. A degree or other qualifications may not accurately reflect a person’s real abilities or tell a prospective employer if someone is likely to perform well in their new job.
When seeking to appoint the right person for a position, their specific training and technical skills should be assessed along with their employability or “soft” skills. You’re more likely to want someone who can communicate their ideas and listen to others, display adaptability, and solve problems.
Such skills are acquired and developed through practice, experience and application, and it is these skills that a prospective employer needs to know about in a skills-based hiring approach.
By focusing on specific skills and abilities, rather than qualifications and education, it ensures a much better match between candidates and the role you’re recruiting for. On the whole, recruiters are five times more likely to look for skills over degrees.
Gone are the days where a central focus is on qualifications and which school or university you attended (or didn’t). It no longer makes sense to dismiss applicants because they don’t have the right degree from the “perfect” university. It’s hardly surprising that businesses in several sectors are struggling to fill vacancies or employ the right people when they’re only looking at their education.
With skills-based recruitment, we move away from this limited approach and focus more on what skills are really required for the job, allowing businesses to assess the skills or competencies, with questions or tasks that tease out how well a candidate will perform in the real world of work.
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