Julie Davis
Senior Director of Workforce and Industry Initiatives
Association of Equipment Manufacturers
Have you ever talked to someone who has an engine spread out in their garage, is wiring their buddy’s hunting cabin, or is the neighborhood handyman and, based on their hobbies, interests and personal aptitude, thought they would be a good fit to work for you? Imagine if you could widen your hiring net to consider people based on the skills, talents and interests that would make working for you a good fit for them instead of hiring someone based on the skills they used in the job they could get as a 20-year-old. (Let’s face it, none of us were working in the job we wanted at that point — we were working in the job we could get.) This is exactly how skills-based hiring works, and it results in having a wider talent pool to recruit from. The catch is that you need to be able assess their skills and then train them to competency. The reward is a wider talent pool trained to your specifications, and higher retention because they love the work.
Eric Glasow
President
GCI Services Inc.
Our employees are our best source for hiring — they help recruit top talent and sell them on our company culture.
In a sample of responses submitted by CBO readers, the top three answers to this question were:
- Relying on employee referrals
- Hiring away from the competition
- Word of mouth
