When companies as widely recognized and well established as Boeing, Walmart, and IBM start moving in a similar direction on something, it’s safe to say the idea has legs. In this case, companies are looking towards skills-based hiring in tandem with degree-based hiring. The idea here is for companies to remove “must-have” barriers around hiring—such as “must have an MBA” or “must have a four-year degree”—in favor of hiring for the skills they need in a specific candidate. According to an oft-cited piece of research, hiring for skills is five times more predictive of job performance and, ultimately, results in a better-prepared workforce.
