3 Ways To Adapt Your Job Search For Skills-Based Hiring

Skills-based hiring is on the rise. This is a specific approach to hiring where employers filter candidates based on what they can do – as verified by skills assessments or relevant experience – instead of screening for other background factors, such as having a college degree. The uptick in skills-based hiring has been covered in Harvard Business Review, right here on Forbes.com and in the 2024 Global Trends: The State of Hiring report by hiring platform HireVue.

Based on HireVue’s survey of 6,000 talent leaders from the U.S., U.K., and Australia, across a variety of industries and company sizes:

• 21% have replaced resumes with skills-based assessments
• 34% report being comfortable using skills assessments across the hiring process (v. 29% in the prior year)
• 65% use skills assessments to determine potential

The emphasis on skills is good news for job candidates who are confident they can do the advertised job, but may not have a matching degree or brand-name employers on their resume. It is also good news for career changers who are learning new skills in order to pivot industries or roles, but don’t have formal work experience yet. Finally, it’s good news even for professionals with traditional backgrounds because the focus on skills is an additional opportunity to stand out.

That said, as a candidate, you can’t just run the same job search as before. Knowing that employers are screening differently, you have to show up differently. Here are three ways to adapt your job search for skills-based hiring:

1 — Highlight desired skills in ALL of your job search material

Your resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letter, networking pitch and job interview examples should all mention the key skills that employers for your desired job are searching for. Look at job postings for roles and companies you’re interested in, and then review your job search material to ensure you mention the critical keywords and phrases. List special skills in the Executive Summary of your resume and the About section in LinkedIn, so that employers don’t have to dig through all of your material to find what they need.

2 — Prepare to demonstrate your skills in real-time

If you’re years or decades out of school, it might have been a long time since your last test. Yet, vying for a new job may require test-taking ability. I once hired a Marketing Director for a media company, where all candidates (even Director level) were given short quizzes in Excel. The tests were simple enough for anyone with true marketing experience, but did require that you can maneuver in Excel and not freak out at answering a few questions within an allotted amount of time. Some candidates, who looked great on paper, either couldn’t or wouldn’t take the test. If tests give you anxiety, practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing or visualization. Try to audit some online courses that include tests to give you practice in a lower-stakes environment. Pull together a job portfolio of past work samples that demonstrate tangible skills so you have something to offer right at the start of your interview process – and perhaps circumvent the need for other testing.

3 — Structure your side projects to fill in skills gaps

As you adapt your job search material and activity to highlight key skills, you may uncover gaps in what you can do versus what your desired role requires. Don’t give up on your dream job just yet. Invest some of your job search time into side projects that will help you develop and demonstrate the skills you are missing. For example, I once coached an experienced professional on the operations side who wanted to pivot into business development. He was able to flex a brand new set of skills in sales, relationship management, market research and pricing as a pro bono adviser to startups. Look for hands-on opportunities to learn new skills and generate interview-worthy results from volunteer roles, consulting for smaller businesses, or projects with professional associations or universities.

Skills management is career management

Given that employers are screening for tangible skills, you too need to focus on maintaining your skills to maintain your career. Pay attention to new trends and technology that impacts your industry and role. Talk to your manager about getting training as needed. Continue to look for side projects outside of work to learn new skills and update existing ones.