Learning a new recruiting process

- Have you ever tried to teach someone to do something you yourself could not do? If you can't swim, would you try to teach someone else how to do it? Can't ride a bike? Would you volunteer to teach your young family member? Want hiring managers to utilize a skills-first approach when you aren't using the strategy? That's exactly what some of you are doing. Complaining that hiring managers won't accept the candidates you've offered when you haven't taken the time to educate yourself on what exactly a skills-based recruiting process looks like and more importantly, how to be effective. Switching to a skills-based approach will involve some upfront effort and can only work if hiring managers are also embracing it. Unfortunately, many company leaders are concerned about the time and energy already invested in their current process and are stuck on we've always done it this way. But without a change in the process, the how it gets done, we see very few hires being made. Overcoming this resistance can be difficult, especially when there have been many articles published by what most believe are esteemed publications that object to the removal of degrees as a requirement for a job. They make the case that employers shouldn't have to compromise on qualifications. In 2018, when the idea of skills-based recruiting was less talked about, the concept was called down skilling. It was thought to be a lowering of the bar. However, this is based on the idea that a college degree provides all of the skills necessary for a job, and anyone who has spent more than five minutes recruiting knows this isn't accurate. Holding a degree does not automatically mean a candidate also possesses the skills the degree indicates. There is a pervasive mindset that removing the requirement for degrees will provide a pool of unqualified candidates resulting in the need to reduce the competency level of the eventual hire. A mindset that removing degree requirements will result in lower quality products and underserving candidates getting jobs when they shouldn't. This mindset drives the reluctance of hiring managers to consider a skills first approach. This fear of lowering the bar is the mindset that you have to address, but where do you land on the debate? Do you understand that using a degree as the first hurdle to hiring fails to take into account the individuals who have the intelligence to obtain a degree but not the money? Maybe they have the intelligence but not the access. Do you see that a candidate with a disability or a cognitive impairment may be prevented from taking tests that are supposed to be a litmus test for aptitude measurement? It is quite likely that you have encountered a scenario similar to this. Gary has worked for your company as a procurement specialist for 10 years. His manager leaves the company and his position as senior manager of procurement becomes available. Gary would like to apply for that position, but never completed his bachelor's degree. He's three credits short. The head of the department has decided that this role requires a degree which makes Gary ineligible to apply. As a recruiter, what do you do? Do you advocate for what is now going to be an exception to the rule? Do you challenge the rule or do you ignore the inequity and recruit externally? Embracing a DEI mindset will make it that much easier to notice the inequity, form a strategy, and educate hiring managers on implementation of a skills first approach.