Recruitment processes have evolved over time and are based on working methods from the past. Over time, individual elements have been continuously digitized, but the basic process has remained largely unchanged.
Anyone who wants to seriously implement skills-based hiring must rethink existing recruiting processes instead of just mapping them digitally. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) filter applications primarily according to CVs, qualifications and professional experience - soft skills and potential are not taken into account. This has far-reaching consequences for companies that are urgently looking for skilled workers.
1. Incomplete applicant profile
Most ATS analyze applications based on hard facts such as degrees, employers and years of work. But soft skills such as the ability to work in a team, adaptability or strong communication skills play a crucial role in professional success - and are not adequately captured in traditional systems.
2. Talents with unusual careers fall through the cracks
Many ATSs reject applicants if they do not have exactly the desired academic or professional background. Career changers, self-taught people or people with alternative learning paths are often rejected even though they have valuable skills. This is a major problem, especially in areas such as IT, AI or creative professions.
3. Bad Candidate Experience
Another disadvantage of classic ATS: Long, impersonal application processes, complicated forms and automated rejections without feedback worsen the candidate experience. Specialists who have several offers to choose from often drop out or don't even apply.
4. Missed opportunities due to lack of potential analysis
Skills-based hiring means not only evaluating based on formal criteria, but also recognizing the skills and potential of an applicant. Classic ATS systems are often reactive systems that only manage incoming applications instead of actively searching for suitable talent. Predictive analytics or AI-supported skill matching processes could achieve much more here, but are only used rudimentarily in many ATS systems.
The answer is clear: Yes. Companies that want to focus on skills-based hiring need new technologies and a different way of thinking.
• Skill-based matching systems that go beyond CVs and include soft skills
• Proactive talent search instead of just managing applications
• AI-supported potential analyses to identify development opportunities at an early stage
• Better UX & communication to avoid losing applicants due to complicated processes
ATS often only digitize existing, analog processes without making recruiting really more efficient. If you don't want to exacerbate the shortage of skilled workers, but want to attract talent in a targeted manner, you have to fundamentally rethink recruiting processes.
360-Talents is a full-service recruiting platform and enables data-driven skill-based hiring. Interested? Register or contact us.
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