The Multiple Pathways Initiative Talent Acquisition Working Group focused on identifying best practices and supporting companies in implementing skills-based hiring practices.

Four models of action emerged:

1. Loosening Requirements

Cast a wide net, increase your talent pool consideration:

• Start by rethinking your job descriptions
• Focus on the results you’d like to see, rather than the type of qualifications that you think could deliver them
• Highlight the desired skills — the candidate’s ability to perform certain tasks — gets to the same results without creating an unnecessary barrier to entry, like a requirement for a four-year degree

2. Assessing Skills and Structuring Interviews

Stay focused on skills — and the assessments that can measure them:

• Hard skill evaluations like coding tests
• Innovative soft skill assessments
• Case studies
• Asking structured interview questions based on skills and competencies can level the playing field for each candidate

3. Hiring from Additional Talent Pools

Expand your talent pools to include untapped talent who have valuable skills, gained by nonlinear educational backgrounds or career paths:

• This may mean someone who is just kickstarting their corporate career—whether straight from a technical training program or the Military—or someone who has professional experience but took a break from the workforce due to life circumstances

4. Establishing a Skills Marketplace

Activate an internal talent marketplace:

• Create a culture that fosters talent and career mobility while encouraging employees to seek new experiences outside of their team or department
• Engage managers as champions
• Encourage “boomerang employees” and embrace unconventional career pathways that deviate from traditional hierarchical career progressions
• Consider artificial intelligence for skills matching paired with human calibration and assessment