1. Begin With Job Profiles & Descriptions
Starting small is the simplest way to get started with hiring for skills. You can build an iterative process to bring a skills-based approach to your talent acquisition processes by starting with one job profile and one job description.
Your job profiles are the first place to look. Explain each skill required for the job, and then consider whether candidates truly require a degree or a certain number of years of experience to succeed in the role. Degrees and certifications may be required for positions in finance, medicine, law, or data science. Looking at skills rather than pedigree, on the other hand, forces you to consider what is actually required to carry out the job's tasks. It may have little to do with what they studied in college, if they attended college at all. Then, write your job description so that it clearly communicates the skills required for the role while removing any unnecessary requirements.
2. Incorporate Skills into a Whole-Person Assessment
A potential employee is more than just their skills. They have characteristics, competencies, preferences, interests, motivations, and experiences that support their profile as a best-fit candidate. Skills are just one of many lenses through which you must look. Recognizing this fact will assist you in defining what is actually required for each role in a way you may not have previously. This includes candidate interest, ability, and internal business and team needs.
A customer support technician, for example, may need technical skills, but they may also need a natural aptitude for empathy and understanding as they troubleshoot customer issues. They must also be motivated to use both soft and hard skills throughout the day. Otherwise, they will be exhausted by the job and will be a poor fit. As a result, the evaluation for this position would consider both skills and the candidate's interests and motivations.
3. Create an Evaluation Strategy
An effective assessment strategy specifies which competencies, behaviors, and skills will be evaluated at each stage of the hiring process. It also specifies who will assess each of these criteria and which tools will be used as candidates progress through the hiring process.
Your assessment strategy may include pre-screening questions, test-based assessments, and role-specific interview questions. To facilitate an objective evaluation process, it should be aligned with a hiring scorecard. A map of each step, as well as roles and responsibilities, will be included in an assessment strategy.
4. Guarantee Consistency at Every Point of Contact
The most gorgeous assessment strategy will not work unless everyone involved in the selection process buys in. Ascertain that each individual - sourcer, recruiter, hiring manager, and interviewer - is aware of the skills and expertise they are responsible for evaluating.
A clear set of assessment criteria, as well as a standardized method for documenting them, will go an extended way toward making whole-person hiring with an emphasis on skills more effective.
5. Maintain Consistent Communication to Promote Alignment
It may appear that you are communicating too much, but regular discussions among stakeholders will help you develop a skill-based hiring muscle and a better recruiting process overall. Processes, assessment strategies, scorecards, and interview questions may need to be revised as you go.
In your communications, keep returning to what you set out to do at the start: assess candidates on the skills and competencies required by the company, in the role, and on the team. Frequent communication will keep everyone on the same page as candidates move through the hiring process and final decisions are made.
6. Allow Technology to Assist in Lifting the Load
You may be surprised to learn that your present technology stack can help you hire for skills – or that adding just one assessment tool can provide an effective strategy to level levels of competition among candidates. Look for tools that will assist you in objectively assessing candidates, creating a structured and unbiased interview process, and standardizing feedback collection.
As your company's abilities-based hiring muscle grows, you may want to consider tools which concentrate on skills throughout the talent lifecycle. However, if the essential components of a strong hiring process are overlooked - effective job profiles, a clearly defined assessment strategy, and consistent execution - those tools will not fully realize their potential.