Indeed, the popular job search platform, has unveiled a new product called Skill Connect on May 22. This innovative offering aims to assist job seekers in effectively showcasing their skills and training certifications to potential employers, ultimately enhancing their chances of securing employment.
Skill Connect goes beyond traditional job search platforms by providing support to job seekers without college degrees. Through partnerships with organisations like Scholas, Year Up, and Austin Community College, Indeed enables these individuals to gain valuable skills through job training programmes. Once the training is completed, Skill Connect guides them through a tailored resume creation process, which conveniently suggests relevant skills and certifications.
Abbey Carlton, the vice president of social impact at Indeed, emphasised the importance of skills-based hiring in the company’s mission to help people find jobs. Carlton stated, “Promoting skills-based hiring is deeply connected to Indeed’s mission of helping people get jobs. Hiring based on skills rather than academic credentials will have a significant impact on helping job seekers facing bias and barriers find work.”
The latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that approximately 62% of adults in the United States do not hold a bachelor’s degree. Consequently, many job candidates may be disregarded due to the absence of academic credentials, even if they possess the relevant skills required for the job.
Moreover, a recent survey conducted by Indeed discovered that 64% of job seekers believe they have been overlooked for positions they were otherwise qualified for solely because they did not possess the specified degree. According to the respondents, employers should take into account alternative factors such as experience (83%), career/skills certifications (72%), and skills assessments (65%), rather than focusing solely on degrees.
The survey also highlighted the success of nontraditional training programmes. Approximately 76% of job seekers who participated in alternative training programmes, such as bootcamps and certification programmes, reported advancements in their careers.
Despite the growing popularity of skills-based hiring, a recent report suggests that employers may not be adopting it quickly enough to meet the rising demand. To bridge this gap, organisations are turning to in-house training, apprenticeships and other nontraditional approaches.
However, some job candidates face challenges when attempting to include their skills and training credentials on hiring platforms, according to new research. Many platforms lack adequate fields to capture this information, and the data regarding alternative credentials can be lost during extraction. As the labor market continues to evolve, some experts suggest that HR leaders and IT staff should collaborate to emphasise the most important skills and hiring priorities.
Indeed’s Skill Connect provides a valuable solution for job seekers, particularly those without college degrees, by enabling them to effectively promote their skills and training certifications to potential employers. By focusing on skills rather than academic credentials, Indeed aims to reduce bias and barriers in the hiring process, ultimately helping job seekers find meaningful employment opportunities.
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