Why You Should Embrace Skill-Based Recruiting (And Ditch Resume)

Resumes might hamper recruiting for technical roles

 
It’s no secret that software developer roles are in high demand. A Code.org report, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, revealed that 500,000 developer roles went unfilled in 2017, while the Obama White House anticipated the gap would grow to 1.4 million jobs by 2020. On the surface, this might seem to indicate a talent shortage—and in fact, 65 percent of recruiters cite this as the biggest challenge in hiring—but the talent is out there. The problem is that most companies use outdated methods to identify and vet technical talent.
 
HR teams can get hundreds of resumes for the average corporate job opening. It’s not feasible to carefully go through every resume and so technical recruiters rely on factors that could be proxies for skill and talent. For example, does a candidate have big name employers on their resume? Did they graduate from an elite university? Do they have a computer science degree?
 
The problem with this approach is that people fall through the cracks. Someone who has all the right skills may not have a certain pedigree or they may be bad at presenting themselves in the best possible light. Conversely, someone who seems qualified on paper may not actually be right for the job. It’s just as easy to oversell on a resume as to undersell. Resumes can be ambiguous, inconsistent, and in some cases, untrue.
 
Another problem with resume-based recruiting is bias. The technology industry has taken heat for the large racial and gender disparities that exist, particularly in leadership and technical roles. HR pros may like to think they aren’t biased, but unconscious (and conscious) bias can make it hard for people who don’t “look the part” to get equal consideration. Other recruiting tools, such as offering employees bonuses for making referrals, can also systematize bias because people tend to refer people who are like them.
 
As if those issues with resumes aren’t enough, the traditional approach to recruiting is inefficient. It can take months for teams to fill positions—months that the position is left unfilled. Resumes don’t provide any real insight into a candidate’s skills or their personality, so a series of interviews is needed to make sure they can do the work and fit in with the culture. The combination of phone screens, technical assessment, and face-to-face meetings is incredibly time consuming, and that’s time that engineering and management aren’t spending elsewhere.
 
Inverting the recruiting process and moving skill-based recruiting to the top of the funnel is a more efficient, fair, and effective way for companies to find the right developers for the job. With this approach, recruiters start by assessing applicants’ skills at the outset with a test that reflects the daily work of an engineer in that role. If an applicant can’t pass a technical test, a company doesn’t have to waste time reading through their resume or scheduling a phone call. It narrows the field. Instead of going through 250 resumes, HR can focus on evaluating the 10 who passed.
 
Skills-based recruiting quickly eliminates unqualified candidates from the pool of consideration, which saves time and energy for both HR and the engineering teams. It speeds up and streamlines the hiring process and makes it less likely that a company will make a bad hire, which is an expensive mistake. At the same time, this approach surfaces candidates who may be far more qualified than they look on paper. It helps companies find the best people for the job in a competitive environment. Just as important, it minimizes the impact of bias. If someone can pass the test, it doesn’t matter what they look like or where they are from. It’s a more meritocratic method.    
 
Finally, focusing on skills first allows employers to build up a database of code tests and potential candidates. Many technical assessments are conducted on whiteboards during in-person interviews, which means they are not standardized and the results get erased. A standard set of skills tests collects more objective, quantifiable data and gives employers insight into how candidates think. And the information is all saved, so an engineer who may not get one job can be kept in the running for another.
 
With the time HR doesn’t spend plowing through resumes, they can dedicate to engaging with potential hires. This investment in building relationships will pay off when a company finds the perfect candidate, and the challenge becomes getting them to accept the job.