Lorien Host Roundtable Lunch Featuring TALiNT Partners Keynote

Designed specifically for HR and Talent Acquisition leaders, this exclusive event was an invaluable opportunity for attendees to discover the latest trends, challenges, and best practices in the shift towards becoming a skills-based organisation.  

We were delighted to be joined by Ken Brotherston, CEO @TALiNT Partners who led the conversation. For over 30 years, Ken has been a pre-eminent voice to the latest talent acquisition and recruitment community, providing insights and advice and helping to shape industry trends and standards.

Key themes 

During lunch, there were discussions about the changing landscape of talent acquisition and the drive towards the skills-based organisation. During Ken’s introductory keynote, he emphasised the importance of hiring for skills in the current business environment and how to overcome potential obstacles.

The shift towards hiring for skills and its challenges.

The shift towards skills-based hiring has been a discussion point for years now, so one of the key challenges is for hiring managers to acknowledge the ongoing conversation and work towards actionable strategies, rather than mere discussions.

Attendees also talked about the challenge not being about scarcity of talent but finding talent with the right skill set for specific roles. For skills-based hiring to be successful, managers need strategies for identifying underlying competencies that can be developed for specific broad job functions.

It’s important to acknowledge that transitioning to a skills-based hiring model is a long-term strategy that requires time and commitment, it is not a quick fix. Companies need to be prepared for challenges and be a willing to develop strategies for staying agile and adaptable in a rapidly changing skills landscape.

Buy vs borrow vs build of skills and internal mobility

There were discussions around the decision between recruiting new talent (buy) with the necessary skills or using contractors and freelancers (borrow) to fill skill gaps, and how this could affect future business strategy. We considered cost implications, long-term value, and the impact on team dynamics. We also talked about how companies in 2024 are also highly focused on development of talent through upskilling and reskilling programmes. Plus, how businesses are looking to educational institutions to work more on the 'build' side of skills-based hiring. 

However, one of the key areas that was discussed at length is the importance of internal mobility when it comes to a skills-based approach. Creating pathways for employees to transition between roles within the company, fostering retention and skill development is key. To facilitate this, companies should implement mentorship and training programs to support internal career growth.

Role analysis and skills definition.

There were fascinating conversations about the importance of skills validation and the methods of certifying skills, including assessments, credentials, and performance evaluations. We also discussed the need to identify skills that are adjacent or complementary to existing skills within the workforce to guide development and hiring strategies.

An interesting discussion point centred around how we can leverage AI and machine learning platforms to identify skills in resumes and match candidates with job descriptions more effectively. Plus, the introduction of tools for tracking and analysing the skills inventory within the organisation.

However, it is also important to highlight that introducing new technologies can sometimes evoke resistance. Hiring managers need to overcome this by introducing training and demonstrating that these technologies are efficient and effective in the hiring process.

Putting together the business case for skills-first approach

We discussed how to gain adoption of a skills-based approach from hiring managers. This focused on educated them on the benefits, developing guidelines and tools to help managers adapt their hiring practices, and providing success stories of evidence. Skills-based hiring can also increase the overall value of employees to the organisation and have an impact on employee engagement and productivity.

How to design an inclusive hiring process.

One of the strongest arguments for a skills-based hiring approach is the potential for it to reduce bias and improve diversity in the workplace. We discussed strategies on how to put a focus on diversity and skills, plus addressing demographic shifts and how they affect the talent pool.

How to tap into a broader talent pool by reducing the emphasis on formal education.

We then moved on to how education can help and how companies can tap into a broader talent pool. There were discussions around the role of educational institutions in preparing students with the skills needed in the modern workforce, and how partnerships between businesses and educational institutions can align the curriculum with industry needs.

Tying skills to business outcomes.

Finally, our conversations turned to the future, and how companies can discover and pinpoint new skills they will need to develop. We talked about techniques for forecasting future skill needs, including marketing analysis and collaboration with industry leaders, and how these can tie into business outcomes and goals. 

We covered the types of exciting technology and platofrms that are out there related to skills-based hiring, including candidate relationship management (CRM, Applicant tracking systems (ATS), talent management platforms and learning and development tools. 

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