43% of American workers who have a full-time job also have a side-gig), and now more people are starting to talk about it: the side-hustle. The gig economy has boomed in prevalence and popularity since the economic downturn of 2008. Millennials and especially Gen Z workers diversifying their income streams has quickly become the norm.
The gig approach has changed the way people work from work hours to working remotely, to hiring for skills instead of degrees. If you’re a hiring manager who needs to fill a position for a full-time job, how can you be sure that the side-hustle generation will give the work their full attention?
As recruiting becomes increasingly more competitive (there are still more open jobs available than there are workers to fill those jobs), hiring managers have to get creative about sourcing talent. If an employee has the initiative and drive to learn new skills required to not only do one job but several, that’s exactly the kind of employee you should want on your team. Having a side-hustle in addition to a full-time job means that skills in several areas are not only learned but also updated on a rolling basis. There’s no time for stagnation. That drive for continuous learning would be an asset to any organization.
Where do digital credentials come in?
Many workers rely on several jobs at once to earn a living, and shifting from gig work to full-time work means that they should have proof of skills in their toolbox during the hiring process. Digital credentials are the perfect way for a candidate to prove that they can do exactly what they said they can do - in a verifiable, portable way. Digital credentials help a hiring manager make sense of extensive side-hustle experience and makes information stand out in a way that can’t be observed on just a resume.
If you’re interested in learning more about how digital credentials can transform the hiring process at your organization, arrange a chat with our team today!