Stop Focusing on Titles and Embrace Skill-Centered Recruiting

As your business continues to cope with talent shortages caused by “The Great Resignation,” you may be learning it’s increasingly harder to find exactly what you’re looking for in an employee. In a jobseekers’ market, a perfect candidate whose resume checks all your boxes may not exist. You need to have the flexibility to accept a candidate that doesn’t fit your preconceived ideas. One positive step you can take to refresh your outlook is to de-emphasize potential candidates’ previous job titles in your search. Instead, focus on the skills you need for the position you’re filling.

The Problem with Resumes

Think of recruiting like panning for gold. If you use a sifter with overly tight mesh, you may miss out on small deposits that are nonetheless valuable. On the other hand, the big chunks of rock that the sieve does catch may contain worthless fool’s gold.

Resumes pose a similar problem. If a promising candidate doesn’t have job titles that match what you’re looking for, they may be tossed aside. Meanwhile, you may be drawn to a resume with impressive titles that turn out to be embellished or, worse, totally fabricated.

So how do you pivot toward skill-based hiring? Here are three steps you can take.

Broaden Your Talent Pool

If your candidate database is limited to previous applicants, contacts from job fairs, and referral partners, you could be missing out. Instead, visit trade schools, attend industry events, and reach out with social media. And try including channels that aren’t typically associated with recruiting, like Snapchat.

Change Your Job Posting Strategy

Rather than having your job listing focus on desired experience in a position, emphasize the skills you’re looking for in a candidate. In other words, instead of saying “experience as a ________ is required,” try posting, “experience doing ________ is required” instead. To cast your net a bit wider, consider ditching the word “required” in favor of “preferred” or “desired.”

Try Different Interview Approaches

When it comes to your candidate interviews, consider one of these two paths (or a blend of the two):

  • A behavioral interview, which focuses on personality traits, temperament and how candidates would respond to certain workplace scenarios.
  • An experiential interview, which is aimed at discovering experience and skills that would make candidates a good fit for the job. When using this approach, avoid leaning on job titles and focus more on experiences in a position that demonstrate your desired skills.

Get Help from an Expert Staffing Company

Looking for help in your talent search? Arrow Staffing has labor-ready talent ready to work for you in Ontario and across Southern California, and we’d like to earn your trust. Contact our team today.

 

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