For years, we were told a degree was the only way to guarantee employment. As the industry develops and evolves, the hiring process has started to shift its focus. Gone are the days when degrees would make or break your career success. With the rise of apprenticeships and alternative courses, more employers are focusing on your skills rather than your degree. We’re looking at the future of recruitment and why skills are becoming the number one factor.
It’s all about lifelong learning
It’s easy to think that your education stops the day you graduate from school. You’ve likely heard the buzzword of “lifelong learning”. It’s all about developing your skills throughout life to meet the changes within your industry. Just think of how much computers have changed every industry. Did you ever think you would conduct most of your work via video conferencing?
Jobs are changing to meet the needs of society. The World Economic Forum estimates that 65% of children starting at school will have jobs that don’t yet exist. Jobs like ‘social media specialist’ only came into existence in recent years. Some of these careers don’t fit into a specialist degree, meaning employers look at the applicant’s skill set instead.
Post-COVID changes to the hiring process
No one expects to live through a pandemic. No one expects to run a business during a pandemic. It’s no surprise that the pandemic has given us all a new perspective, including on the hiring process. Employers are using this time as an opportunity to change their recruitment process and even the way their business operates.
The World Economic Forum estimates that one-third of all jobs will be transformed by technology. Formerly office-based jobs will transition to working from home, enabling the possibility of remote working.
Infosys used the pandemic as an opportunity to bring together a consortium of partners to host a free platform that provides apprenticeship opportunities and job training. It connects job seekers to potential employers who are searching for candidates with the right skill set.
The companies already prioritizing skills
While skills are the future of recruitment, there are already thousands of businesses that are thinking this way. Some of the biggest companies, like EY, and Google, are prioritizing skills over degrees. These companies are also incorporating lifelong and continuous learning into their employee development programs.
It’s also about ‘soft’ skills
You might think that skills are things like operating equipment or understanding how certain software works. When we talk about skills, we’re also talking about soft skills. Companies are looking for candidates who have the soft skills that set themselves apart from the competition. Soft skills like attention to detail, team working, creative problem-solving, and independent work are highly desirable in every industry.
These are skills you can’t learn in a lecture theatre but have to develop over time. Apprenticeship programs are a way to develop these skills while getting real-world experience.
Whatever stage you’re at in your career, it’s time to start developing new skills to future-proof your career.
About the Author
BCjobs.ca is Western Canada’s largest job board, and host of “Innovators” a weekly podcast interviewing top recruiters in BC and across Canada. Check out our recent interview with Eric Beckwitt, Founder & CEO of Freightera (Podcast link) and Bill Tam, Co-founder of the Digital Supercluster (Podcast link).
