Stop Hiring Just for Experience: A Smarter Approach

It’s a common scenario in boardrooms across Canada: major digital transformation projects are losing momentum. The organization has invested in state-of-the-art technology, yet the expected leap forward hasn't materialized. The problem, however, rarely lies with the new systems.

We've reached an inflection point where the central business challenge is no longer about acquiring technology, but about cultivating talent. The dialogue has fundamentally shifted from a focus on platforms and software to a more critical conversation about human capability and skills.

Ultimately, the limiting factor for growth is the availability of skilled professionals. An organization's future readiness is now inextricably linked to its strategy for closing the skills gap. Securing the right talent is now a more complex and vital task than procuring the right technology.

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Time to re-think potential

In the past, businesses recruited and hired employees based on relevant experience. The logic made sense at the time: If you wanted a job done right, you hired a person who knew how to do it.

This approach was successful then, because the likelihood of some new technology coming along to disrupt the essence of the position was quite low and resources were not that scarce.

Back then, a significant disruption would only occur once or twice in a person’s career and you could pretty much hire the people that you needed.

The data

1% Growth lost

OECD research shows that the 14 G20 countries could miss out on as much as 11.5 trillion USD, if they fail to meet their technical skills demands. That is an entire percentage point of growth lost.

5% in Sync

Research from Forbes.com indicates that just 5% of executives now believe, that their business strategy and their technological resources are in sync. Considering the vast investments in training, that is a shockingly low number.

The Skills Gap

Forbes.com has found that 95% of executives say that their strategies and their skills are not aligned. Just consider for a moment how unlikely it is, that you will create change when you don´t have the people or the skills to do it?

What now?

But now, in today’s world of constant digital transformation, your demand for specific experience will continually and rapidly change.

So why would you want to compete for those rare profiles, with today’s experience, with out-of-this world salaries and benefits?

It is no longer a functional way to close the gap:

If you hire a person for a particular experience, you will be vulnerable to technological advances that will (without a doubt) come along and make that experience obsolete.
You won’t be able to fill your skills gaps with recruiting experienced profiles, they are simply too scarce. If you try, you will overpay and under-achieve.

Let’s face it. Small adjustments to your current Talent strategy will not be enough to avoid the skills crisis, and the cost of inaction is staggering.

OECD research shows that the 14 G20 countries could miss out on as much as 11.5 trillion USD, if they fail to meet their technical skills demands. That is an entire percentage point of growth lost.

Every year…

New ways for the skills-first economy
The sheer scale and complexity of bridging the current technical skills gaps can be overwhelming for businesses, who have not yet moved on from hiring for experience.

Afterall, in response to the skills crisis, the most successful business leaders are thinking of skills before they even start to think about technology. We now live in a Skills-First economy and they are completely re-thinking their approach to skills acquisition.

They are investing in talent rather than experience.

To futureproof your organization now, you will need to put skills-first and hire talent that can be trained for the NEXT wave of technology.

You need talent with hungry minds, who can be matched to the skill requirements in your business. Technological competence is temporary, but intellectual curiosity is a permanent asset.

You´ll soon learn that talent can be trained to do anything.

Book a 1-hour talk with a consultant for FREE

"Proof is in the pudding" as they say. Let us show you, how we will make your Digital Skills work. It will most likely be the best spent 30 minutes of your entire project.