Skills-First Hiring: The Importance of Skills in the Workforce

In the past few years', skills-first hiring has become a buzzword in the recruitment world. As the name suggests skills-first hiring involves prioritizing an applicant's skills over traditional indications such as education or previous work experience. This approach can provide many benefits to the recruiter such as expanding the talent pool, reducing bias and improve the quality of employment. But according to new data from LinkedIn, there's another unexpected benefit of skills-first hiring: better InMail acceptance rates.  

According to a recent article by Greg Lewis (Senior Content Marketing Manager at LinkedIn), recruiters with the most skills-first searches have 22% higher InMail acceptance rates compared to recruiters who rely less on skills-first searches. These findings underscore the importance of skills in the recruitment process and highlight the need for effective skills assessment tools to identify suitable candidates.  

And that's where our platform, the rightskilling platform comes in. Our software uses data and machine learning to help organizations define their skills strategy, build the skills architecture they need, and pinpoint how to right-skill their workforce quickly and efficiently.    

Why are skills important in the workplace?  

The importance of skills in the future workforce is something that should not be underestimated. Fact. In today's fast-evolving job market, new technologies and business models evolve continuously and employees need to constantly improve their skills to stay relevant and competitive. And according to a recent report from the World Economic Forum, by 2025 more than half of the workforce will need major upgrades or skills upgrades to keep pace with technological change.  

Additionally, skills are more important than ever in the hiring process. Because companies are placing more and more emphasis on skills, applicants must be able to demonstrate their abilities effectively. This shift in the hiring landscape means that skills assessment is becoming an important part of the hiring process. And not just focusing on education and experience.  

How our platform helps recruiters find skills  

Our rightskilling platform is a data-driven and strategy-led tool that helps recruiters effectively close their skills gaps. Our software has several features that make it easy for recruiters to find the right candidate based on their skills.  

To start with, our platform helps organizations define their skills strategy. This involves identifying the skills that are most critical to the organization's success and mapping out the skills architecture needed to achieve strategic goals. By defining the skills strategy, organizations can focus their efforts on acquiring the right skills and avoid wasting resources, and time, on irrelevant skills.    

Secondly, our platform uses data and machine learning to identify skill gaps across teams. By analysing data from multiple sources including job descriptions and resumes, our platform can identify the missing or scarce skills needed to transform the workforce landscape. This information can be used to develop targeted upskilling or rightskilling programs that address the specific skills gaps in the workforce.    

And finally, our platform enables recruiters to rightskill their workforce quickly and efficiently. Once the skills gaps have been identified, our platform recommends career paths and gives everyone the visibility of how their skills can drive their next, and future, career moves. This helps organizations to upskill or rightskill their workforce faster, saving time and resources.    

Rightskilling. It's Simply.    

Why Rightskilling? It is critical for the organization  

We now know that rightskilling is a critical component of skills-first hiring. When organisations ensure that employees have the right skills for their role, they can improve performance, reduce turnover, and enhance overall job satisfaction. And in tandem to that, when employees have the skills they need to perform their job effectively, they are more likely to feel engaged and motivated, which can lead to higher levels of productivity and better outcomes.   

Moreover, rightskilling can help organizations stay competitive in the market, or as we say; win in their market. As the pace of technological change accelerates, organizations need to be able to adapt quickly to new business models and emerging technologies. By ensuring that their workforce has the necessary skills, organizations can stay ahead of the curve and remain relevant in a rapidly changing environment, giving them the skills they need for the future.   

Conclusion   

The shift towards skills-first hiring highlights the growing importance of skills in the workforce and as recruiters increasingly prioritize skills in their hiring process, it becomes essential for organizations to have effective skills assessment tools to identify the right candidates.    

With our rightskilling platform, we provide a solution for organizations to define their skills strategy, pinpoint skills gaps, and rightskill their workforce quickly and efficiently. By using data and machine learning, our platform helps organizations to stay competitive in a rapidly changing environment, ensure employees have the skills they need, and achieve their strategic goals. And finally. with the support of our platform, organizations can successfully navigate the skills landscape and make skills-first hiring a priority for their recruiting efforts.