Skills-based hiring involves identifying the specific skills a job requires for success, and screening candidates based on whether they possess those necessary skills or not. With a skills-based hiring approach, a candidate’s verified skills are prioritized over traditional proxies like a degree from a four-year college or a certain number of years of work experience. Organizations are moving toward a skills-based hiring strategy because limiting candidates to outdated proxies e.g. a college degree inadvertently eliminates potential high performers who may not have had access to costly higher-education opportunities, have acquired in-demand skills through other means (including code academies, night school, or vendor offered product certifications), or haven’t optimized their resumes with the right keywords to game applicant tracking system algorithms. Eliminating potentially high-performing candidates right off the bat also ignores other critical criteria in the hiring process—such as personality assessments and team fit. Organizations are favoring this skills-based approach to hiring to improve hiring decisions, streamline the hiring process, and better meet equity, diversity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Resumes will never go away completely. They are still an important sourcing tool that HR teams continue to use to narrow the pool of candidates. But they are no longer the sole qualifying factor anymore. Job seekers need to augment their resumes and profiles with other data that gets them noticed over other qualified applicants.
You need to give HR professionals what they’re currently looking for—and that’s verifiable proof that you have the skills necessary to succeed in the open position. This requires using digital credentials to showcase what you “can do” instead of just listing what you “have done.” Whether issued by a product vendor, university, or third-party learning platform, digital credentials show recruiters that you can perform the duties required of the position. Better yet, digital credentials based on proficiency can show that you not just perform the basic requirements, but you can be a high performer.
Augmenting your resume and professional networking profiles with links to your verified credentials is a good place to start. You can still optimize your resume with pertinent keywords and qualifications and make sure you highlight the skills that will allow you to succeed.
Digital credentials are meant to be shared. You can add your badges to your email signature, display them on your professional profiles, and share them with your network via social media.
Don't have a Credly profile yet? Joining the millions of professionals, recruiters, and employers on the Credly network will get you in front of hiring managers and recruiters plus allow you to emphasize what you can do, over what you’ve done in the past. Done successfully, it will also open doors to new opportunities to take your career to the next level using your unique set of skills and talents.
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