Skills-first hiring has CIOs rethinking talent strategies

Mandell says she generally hires someone on a contract basis if she needs a specific skill.

Expanding the talent pool

Proponents of skills-first hiring acknowledge that some positions should still require college degrees or a certain number of years’ experience. They agree that hiring managers should consider certain traits, such as candidate’s ability to work collaboratively.

Yet they also say more CIOs should adopt skills-first hiring as an effective way to close the talent gaps so many are experiencing.

Year Up, for example, works with organizations to understand exactly what skills they need so that Year Up can train participants in those areas.

“We get at the heart and soul of what they really need,” says John Galante, managing director of Year Up and a former JP Morgan Chase & Co. CIO.

To ensure those candidates can succeed and grow, Year Up places them with organizations in internships first, and it encourages candidates to pursue ongoing training and education.

Some 70% of Year Up trainees who enter IT internships with a company become full-time staffers, according to Galante.

Given the challenges that CIOs have in recruiting and retaining, and the success of Year Up candidates in landing jobs and staying with employers, YUPRO Placement CEO Michelle Sims says more CIOs may have no choice but to adopt a skills-first hiring strategy.

“It’s absolutely vital for companies to expand their talent pool,” she says.