Every position comes with a set of requirements meant to narrow down the candidate pool. While this established method is an effective way of finding potential employees, it also prevents organizations from finding talent who fit outside the qualifications but still have the potential to do great work.
Expanding hiring requirements can bring in candidates who might not make the cut ordinarily. However, adjusting the hiring process requires actively making changes for the long term. To help, a panel of Forbes Business Council members offer advice on how to effectively implement skills-based hiring within an organization.
Members of Forbes Business Council offer advice on how leaders can begin implementing skills-based hiring in their companies.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. Understand What Competencies Are Necessary
A college degree is no longer the sole indicator of employability .In fact, our recent survey found 43% of employers say skills credentials are more important. To properly evaluate talent, business leaders must understand the core competencies required for a role. They can then determine whether a candidate has the aptitude, knowledge, transferable skills and, most importantly, a willingness to learn. - Michael Hansen, Cengage Group
2. Focus On Each Candidate's Abilities
I used to have a "BA preferred" line in my job descriptions, and that might have left other incredible candidates with the feeling that they shouldn't apply. I just hired a rockstar employee who has a community college degree. Higher education for roles is not what it used to be or what it used to mean. If you go with abilities, skills and core values, you'll win more of the time. - Natasha Miller, Entire Productions
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3. Determine Core Value Alignment
Whenever you’re hiring new candidates, it is important to get a feel for how well they will integrate with the rest of your team and if their values align with yours and are in line with the company's vision and mission. See what the candidate is passionate about and how that can be wound into their role to make the job more fulfilling for them, resulting in better productivity. - Johan Hajji, UpperKey
4. Conduct Assessments
This can be assessed through pre-interview skill tests, interviews and other methods. While skills-based hiring may require more effort up front, it can lead to better long-term results by ensuring that only the most capable candidates are hired. In addition, it can help to diversify the workforce and reduce bias in the hiring process. - Dustin Lemick, BriteCo
5. Align Candidate Motivations With Their Potential
The key thing in hiring is understanding how a candidate's motivations align with their skills potential. Consider the time scale required for them to realize it and create a win-win for themselves and the company. - Dominic Dinardo, Aforza
6. Create A Pipeline Of Talent
A sustainable pipeline of talent is one that develops and maintains skill as required by the needs of the business. Skills development could be extended to the wider business community through internships and small-scale community outreach programs. This enables leaders to pick the best upcoming talent on the market and build a sustainable pool of talent for them to tap into in the future. - Meg Yim, MSA Security
7. Hold Different Types Of Interviews
There are hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills can be tested whereas the soft skills appear once a candidate is on the job. One way to get insight into the latter is to have multiple rounds of interviews and role-playing scenarios. If you are still unsure, I find that a probationary period or a short trial contract is a great way to assess skills, cultural fit and performance. - Waqaas Al-siddiq, Biotricity, Inc.
8. Assign A Short-Term Trial Project
Have these exceptional yet nontraditional candidates work on a short-term project basis with members of one of your adjacent teams. This exercise will let you see how well they mesh with your internal culture and personnel. Keep the time frame of this trial period short. If they can prove their talent, move them into their desired position. - David Lenihan, Tiber Health
9. List Desired Soft Skills
We don't even list educational qualifications on the job description anymore. Instead, we list soft skills and a willingness to learn. This is to encourage those who have the talent but may not have had a traditional educational path to apply. We combine this with a skills test in the early stages of the application, one which allows for creativity and tests their approach and openness to learning. - Sabrina Chevannes, Complex Creative
10. Use Assessment Tools
The use of assessment tools has been the best way to approach skills-based hiring in my company. Many tools in the market assess a candidate’s programming skills, problem-solving abilities, logical reasoning and knowledge. We sometimes give more weight to these scores and the employee fitting our organization’s culture rather than the college they got their degree from or their grades. - Saravana Kumar, Kovai.co
11. Prioritize Results
My perspective is somewhat unique since I work in real estate, an industry where results have always been the ultimate test of one's potential. There are clear benefits to focusing on results or what people have done versus what they have been trained to do. When you focus on results, your chances of building a truly diverse team dramatically increase. - Kevin Markarian, Roopler
12. Make Each Effort Sustainable
Creating sustainability for skills-based hiring is a good practice if you want to attract exceptional candidates. Your organization should take active steps to ensure your employees maintain and grow their skills over time. As a business leader in your community, think of building a talent pipeline from schools to the workforce. - Marilisa Barbieri
13. Be Willing To Take A Chance
If the issue is whether or not to remove pedigree requirements, such as an MBA, certifications, etc., then my story is worth telling. I ran out of money for college when I was 21 and someone gave me a chance to work in accounting despite me not having a degree. By the time I got a degree 10 years later, I already saved that same company over $40 million. If you widen the net, you'll catch bigger fish. Hire a candidate's potential, not their resume. - Michael White, MashTank
