Hiring for Skills

It’s not about where you’ve been, it’s what you know: hiring for skills

In 2024, it’s your skills (not the pedigree of past employers on your resume) that count. It’s a big win for diversity, equity and inclusion. And widening the talent pool will bring big advantages to organizations, too. With so many skills gaps to close—especially in areas such as generative AI—we expect businesses to focus on the skills they need to bring on and develop now. This will help them align to the long-term strategic direction of the organization. That includes bringing in interim hires who can upskill teams—and allowing businesses to try new roles on for size before hiring into them permanently. A new focus on skills doesn’t just reference the technical ones. Both technical and leadership skills will be highlighted in job postings and internal opportunities. We can expect to see more sideways moves as businesses reassign roles to unleash hidden potential in their ranks. Recruiters will still be looking out for leadership skills, too—so a seemingly short-term focus now doesn’t leave them with skills gaps at the top later.

 

“Predicting 2024’s Talent Acquisition Trends.” Edited by Scott A. Scanlin et al., Hunt Scanlon Media, 2 Nov. 2023, huntscanlon.com/predicting-2024s-talent-acquisition-trends/#:~:text=It’s%20Never%20Too%20Early%3A%20Doubling,school%2C%E2%80%9D%20the%20report%20says.