The traditional way of recruiting employees based on qualifications seems to limit employer’s selection pool therefore employers are moving beyond qualifications and job titles to focus on the skills a job requires and that the candidate possesses.
Both employees and employers do not realise that the skills they have for one job can be easily transferred to another.
According to a PWC research, for organisations to thrive, they need access to the employees’ full potential, develop and execute new, dynamic strategies.
A skills-based approach is a recruitment strategy that puts an emphasis on a candidate’s skills and abilities, rather than just their qualifications and experience.
This approach allows you to assess a candidate’s potential to succeed in the role, based on their ability to perform specific tasks and responsibilities.
A case for skills based recruitment is based on the cost of a bad hire which according to a Harvard business review research can be up to 30% of that employee’s annual salary.
In addition to financial costs, bad hires also result in lost productivity, lost time in recruiting and training and lost business or customers.
Dealing with the fast evolving workforce dilemma characterised by the Covid-19 pandemic, technological growth, massive change in the global economy, shifting skills to a skill-focused approach seems to be a viable solution.
The Economic forum argues that soon we will only be as good as the skills we possess and proposes a set of skills that will be critical for success.
These can be used by employers as a guide when developing their recruitment and training strategies.
These skills include: Critical thinking and problem solving, analytical thinking and innovation, active learning and learning strategies, creativity, originality and initiative, leadership and social influence, technology use monitoring and control, technology design and programming.
There are a number of benefits of implementing the skills –based approach which include:
Organisations can boost the number and quality of applicants who apply to open positions.
Provide employees with more opportunities to advance internally thereby improving employee retention.
Improved job performance: Hiring candidates with the right skills and abilities can lead to improved job performance and productivity.
Reduced turnover: When you hire candidates who are the right fit for the job, they are more likely to stay with your company for the long term.
Increased diversity: Focusing on skills and abilities can help you identify candidates from a wider range of backgrounds and experiences, leading to a more diverse workforce.
It allows organisations to be more agile as employees can quickly and easily adapt to changing business needs by bringing in new team members with the required skills.
Organisations can attract top talent as most candidates are attracted to companies that value their skills and abilities.
For the successful implementation of the skills based approach there are several steps that need to be taken:
- Defining the skills and abilities needed within the organisation. Before recruiting it is important to understand the skills and abilities required for the role. These can include technical skills like programming or softer skills such as communication and problem-solving.
- Amend job descriptions to focus on skills rather than listing job titles and specific levels of experience. This helps attract a wider pool of qualified candidates.
- Take into account personality and cultural fit, by using personality assessments an organisation can get to know the employee before hiring and determine employee fit with your organisational culture.
- Screening candidates on skills by using skills- based assessments to screen candidates and identify those who have the required skills and abilities
- Conduct skills based interviews that focus on a candidate’s ability to perform specific tasks and responsibilities related to the role.
- Provide skills- based training that is focused on developing the skills and abilities required for the role. This is key for helping employers build and sustain an inclusive workforce.
Skills-based hiring is the future of hiring and, if embraced, will help shape the workforce of tomorrow.
Chiedza Kadare is an OD Practitioner. You can get in touch with her on WhatsApp/call +263 77 283 0986 or Email chiedza.kadare@gmail.com
Paul Nyausaru is an OD Practitioner and leadership coach. For all your OD interventions and leadership development training you can get in touch with him on WhatsApp/call +263774062756 or Email pnyausaru@gmail.com
