More and more companies, from start-ups to multinationals, are hiring based on skills rather than experience or education. A development that not only affects HR and recruitment, but also placement agencies, secondment firms and professionals themselves. In this blog we explain why this trend is important and how your organization can respond to it now.
Why the traditional CV falls short?
The CV has for years been the gold standard. But in practice, a list of roles and qualifications does not always give a good picture of someone's abilities. Especially in the IT sector, where people are often self-taught, retrain via bootcamps, or gain experience outside standard jobs, that is a shortcoming.
Moreover, CVs often unintentionally exclude people: those who don't have diplomas but do have the skills, or those who don't have the 'right' network but do have the right talent. Skills-based hiring turns that filter on its head.
Maart what is skills-based hiring exactly now?
Skills-based hiring means that when recruiting and selecting you put the emphasis on what someone can do, not where that person has worked or studied. Think of measuring programming skills, problem-solving ability, communication style or capacity to learn.
It's about questions such as:
- What can this candidate contribute to this team or project?
- Which skills does someone already have, and which can be developed quickly?
- How well does this person fit the role, not just the title?
This makes selection fairer, more relevant and more future-oriented.
Why it is topical now
1.The labor market is tight: We cannot afford to fish only in the ‘perfect’ CVs. An education at WO level does not necessarily mean that someone with an MBO or HBO level cannot perform the function.
2.AI and automation are changing jobs: Skills are more important than job titles. Especially in today's digital world, skills are more important than a piece of paper. Even if you studied at a high level but have few skills, looking for a job that involves skills can be difficult.
3.Young talent demands tailor-made solutions: Generation Z chooses employers who see them as an individual, not as a cv. The generation of today is much more focused on personal feeling and contact, rather than being concerned with 'what is on my cv'. This generation wants the person to be chosen based on atmosphere and whether they fit into the team.
What could this mean for clients and staffing agencies?
For organizations and employment agencies, this is the moment to make a difference. Skills-based hiring offers the opportunity to:
- To search more broadly and to match faster
- To achieve more diversity in teams
- Retain employees longer through internal advancement based on skills
For staffing agencies this means: presenting candidates no longer based on title, but on talent. That requires a different intake, different questions, and new forms of screening such as skills assessments, soft-skill scans and learning profiles.
And how do you respond to this, then?
- Take inventory of the required skills per assignment, not per role
-Use skill-tests and AI-tools to measure candidates objectively
-Make personal development central to your HR strategy
-Build your own skills database within your organization
Circle8 supports clients and professionals in this shift. From refining profiles to developing skills-based matching strategies. Because when the labor market changes, you don't just move with it, you take the lead.
