Too much focus on the classic job interview questions, such as ‘explain your background and why you think you are the right person for this job’ will not provide the necessary skill level needed for the evolving business environment.

A recent study in UK shows that only 19 per cent of newly hired people have the necessary skills to perform the desired job. This research also shows that many organisations still use questions like the one mentioned above in their recruitment process. The traditional employment method doesn’t reflect the new world of work, so why is it still being used?

Today’s global economy and the emergence of dramatic changes after the Covid pandemic require the recruitment and promotion of new skills for organisations, which requires a change in perspective toward the recruitment process. Our own initial research shows that many of the views on hiring and long-term retention have changed drastically since Covid. We found that most talent attaches special importance to the continuous development of skills, while noting a high level of ‘job meaningfulness’ as the main requirement to stay long term.

The rise of virtual learning

Covid and its resulting increase in remote work has boosted the expectations of employees for more freedom in their work and has shone a spotlight on the benefits of virtual learning. People ran out and bought iPads, workbooks, laptops and computers to ensure that they, and indeed their children, could work effectively from home.

With this, the talented competent skills-based workforce began to redefine and play a stronger role in the design of their jobs. This is also enhanced not only by the changes in the views of employees towards their jobs but also by the needs of consumers, which have changed drastically. To respond more effectively to these new customer needs, organisations need a new set of skills, and therefore a competency-based recruitment process. 

With the loss of many jobs in 2020, some organisations are unaware of the fact that many of the skills of these eliminated jobs can be transferred to new jobs and used more effectively to respond to the new needs of customers. Businesses must change their views towards hiring and evaluate the human resources for promotion. Instead of trying to meet the immediate needs of managers, organisations should first pay attention to longer-term horizons and the needs of the customers in the future.

This puts human skills at the core of an organisation’s ability to better adapt to the changing business environment and makes the continuous development of skills the main criteria for the promotion of its people. The continuous development of skills will create a platform for the development of innovation in the organisation and will help attract and retain new talent.

Managers need to abandon the traditional views about the importance of educational qualifications and certificates and rely more on the importance of their skills.

By adopting a competency-based hiring process, the opportunity for organisations to attract and retain top talent and to better adapt to their new business environment and respond to the new needs of customers and human resources is imminent, and will ensure organisations survive and grow in the evolving business world.