The advantages of the "skills-first" or "skills-centric" approach to search and selection
In a traditional hiring approach, candidate screening is usually done by looking for keywords within the resume. This in recent years has been the main step in checking whether a candidate is a good fit for the role, using a candidate's education , degree, or work history as an indicator of talent. However, this approach can be misleading. That is why there is increasing talk in HR and particularly for Talent Acquisition activities of a "skills-first" or "skills-centric" approach. Let's see why.
The risk of the traditional approach to candidate screening
There are several reasons behind theinaccuracy of keyword research in candidates' resumes. First, resumes are increasingly less predictive of skills because many candidates may inflate their experience or lie. Second, a degree does not necessarily indicate that a candidate is capable of performing well. In fact, his or her qualifications may not reflect his or her true abilities once he or she enters the work environment.
At the same time, evaluating a candidate solely on the basis of the CV risks eliminating potentially good candidates from the selection process, but who do not possess a "linear" academic or professional background according to company standards. In short, the CV remains a valuable tool for framing the candidate's profile at a very early stage of the selection process, but on its own it is not a sufficient filter for the HR professional to understand who he or she is really looking at.
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The revolution of the skillls-first approach
This is where the "skills-first" (or "skills-centric") approach to talent management comes in. This approach emphasizes and values a person's skills instead of his or her educational qualifications and career path. According to a study by Deloitte on future jobs and the skills-first approach, we can use the term "skills" to refer to both technical skills (hard skills) such as programming, data analysis or accounting, and soft or "human" skills such as critical thinking and emotional intelligence. Then we also include in this definition the so-called potential (a word by which we can mean a set of skills, latent qualities and collateral competencies of an individual that could be developed in the future and lead to good performance in everyday work). We are thus talking about all those skills that a person acquires through both study and experience.
Putting candidates' skills first: how to do it
Choosing a skills-first or skills-centric approach to recruitment activities means implementing a strategy that puts candidates' skills first. This implies:
- Reorganize and redefine the job profiles present in the company according to new paradigms focused on skills. Consider in this regard that already today, according to a study by Deloitte, 71% of workers say they perform some type of activity outside their Job Description and only 24% report that they perform the same tasks as other employees with the same Job Title and level in the company.
- Use these new paradigms to indicate prerequisites for an open position. Again, it is interesting to note one statistic, also provided by Deloitte: only 14 percent of entrepreneurs believe that their company is making the most of employees' skills.
- Subject candidates to an assessment of the competencies listed as a prerequisite as early as the pre-screening stage. This is the crucial and at the same time the most complex step to implement in selection funnels: in fact, HR professionals interviewed by McKinsey indicate competency validation as the No. 1 challenge they face during Talent Acquisition activities.
- Rely primarily on the actual skills detected in candidates to make decisions regarding their continuation in the selection process. This is not only the final step in a truly skills-centric approach, but also an important element of building a relationship with the prospective employee. In fact, today as many as 59 percent of workers believe that their company values educational qualifications and previous work experience more than people's skills. Demonstrating that a new, more competency-focused approach has been chosen for people management decisions can be a very important weapon in building trust in the people who will form the heart of the company.
>> ALSO READ: AI AND SELECTION PROCESS INNOVATION: WHERE ARE WE?
Skills-first approach: the benefits for companies
Putting skills first brings with it several benefits, fromprocess efficiency and reduced timelines to a decrease in the number of "bad hires." We also cannot forget the increase in candidates for each position, which in turn increases the possibility of hiring profiles in line with business needs. The benefits, however, are not limited to the company's hiring process alone; several researches show how the skills-first approach allows us to respond to important issues such as Diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) and to establish longer and stronger partnerships with employees, generating a positive impact on performance, company culture and employer branding.
