What Companies Get Wrong About Skills-Based Hiring

This article examines the gap between the growing adoption of skills-based hiring practices and actual hiring outcomes for workers without college degrees. Fuller and Sigelman note that although many employers have removed degree requirements from job postings, relatively few additional non-degree holders are ultimately hired. The authors argue that organizations often fail to redesign recruitment, screening, and evaluation processes to identify and reward skills effectively. To make skills-based hiring a reality, they propose practical reforms that include improving candidate assessment methods, expanding talent sourcing strategies, and aligning hiring practices with demonstrated competencies rather than educational credentials alone. The article highlights the potential of skills-based hiring to broaden talent pools, increase workforce diversity, and improve labor market efficiency.