It's a match: How skills-based hiring fits in the future of work

In July, management trainee Pek Jia Wei started thinking about exploring roles in a new industry, a process she described as “searching blindly with a resume”. Until she came across Skills Path, a new skills-based hiring initiative launched by LinkedIn in August this year. 

Supported by the National Jobs Council, Skills Path promotes hiring based on skills rather than a candidate’s educational qualifications or past experience.

Ms Pek applied for the Talent and Learning Solutions consultant role offered by hiring company LinkedIn via Skills Path. The world's largest professional network is a participating employer in the pilot phase of the Skills Path programme.

Communicative and people-oriented, the 23-year-old went on to complete two Skill Assessments in critical thinking and customer service that were matched based on the role she had applied for. Just two days later, she received a message from a recruiter. 

“As a job seeker, I found Skills Path useful in demonstrating the skills the hiring company was looking for. This gives me a better idea of my suitability for the role from the start. Even though I didn’t have prior work experience in a technology company, going through the LinkedIn Learning courses and Skill Assessments gave me the confidence to apply for the role,” she says.

The programme offers job seekers free LinkedIn Learning courses based on their selected role, allowing them to validate these skills with assessments before they submit their job application. The Skill Assessments that job seekers can take include analytical skills, attention to detail, project management, critical thinking and customer service, and Excel.

Like other job seekers on the programme, Ms Pek also had to undergo a screening process which included a written or video introduction with questions set by the hiring company.

“Before taking these assessments, Skills Path offered me relevant LinkedIn Learning courses that would match the role I was applying for, such as building rapport, handling difficult conversations, and critical thinking. These were really in-depth — each one took a few hours to complete. My confidence grew in the process as I knew I was spending time on acquiring skills that the job required,” she says.

In September, she received a job offer from LinkedIn. Despite it being her first venture into the tech industry, Ms Pek was able to tap onto transferable soft skills that she had developed from her prior sales experience in her new role. 

In Singapore, more than 12 companies including NTUC Enterprise, Zuellig Pharma, OCBC Bank, ZALORA, foodpanda, and UOB have joined Skills Path, offering roles including data analyst, sales development, and customer service, amongst others. Collectively, these employers have received over 200 job applications. 

Upskilling and reskilling have taken on a renewed sense of urgency as the pandemic has widened the skills gap — the mismatch between skills that employers want or need, and skills the current workforce is currently equipped with. The gap is especially wide for newly created roles in growth sectors such as e-commerce, biotech, and logistics. 

A major shift in traditional mindsets towards hiring is required in order to close the gap. Employers are starting to realise that new hires should be assessed based on their existing skill sets — instead of just their paper qualifications and work history — as there are various in-demand soft skills transferable from one job to another. Other skills relevant to the job may be learned through on-the-job training and development.

By allowing job seekers to showcase their new skills acquired, and be assessed through Skills Path, recruiters can evaluate candidates in a more equitable way — based on their skills proficiency like attention to detail, project management, and critical thinking, which are critical for success in the fast-evolving job market.

This skills-based hiring process has paid off for Ms Pek. According to her employer LinkedIn, Ms Pek stood out for her commitment to upskill in order to pivot to a different role or industry and showed an ability to demonstrate transferable skills during the interview process.

UOB, which successfully hired a Personal Wealth Executive through Skills Path, said that hiring through Skills Path helps the Bank to discover talents who have valuable skills to bring to the table. 

Mr Jay Chan, the Bank’s Head of Talent Acquisition, said, “We are able to more easily identify quality candidates who are a right fit for the job roles at UOB by using the Skill Assessments feature. For candidates, they can also better understand the skills needed before applying for a role through Skills Path. This results in a smoother experience for both the employer and job seekers as we are aligned on the candidate’s suitability and interest for the role.”

“Furthermore, assessing candidates based on skills — instead of looking solely at experience or educational background — helps to boost the confidence of job seekers, especially mid-career ones looking to make a switch to a new role or industry. This is particularly useful in helping us to broaden the diversity of our talent pool,” he adds.

Last year, the Singapore government worked with 240 partners — from industry groups to recruitment firms — to match job seekers and employers. 

Ms Feon Ang, managing director at LinkedIn Asia Pacific, says: “The transition to a skills-based economy is not a task that can be solely undertaken by a single entity. It will require a multi-stakeholder approach, and we are proud to see Skills Path as an example of a public-private partnership that can help to meet the demand for skills. We hope that companies will join us in being a part of this initiative.”