Creating Skills-Based Job Postings: An Overview Guide

Contents Skills-Based Hiring: An Introduction Skills-Based Hiring: Implementation Overview Example Skills-Based Job Postings

Skills-based hiring builds on two key practices: focusing on skills and minimizing requirements What this means Focusing on skills Posting focuses on key competencies required to perform the role successfully, using commonly-used terms Clearly distinguish “required” vs “preferred” competencies (e.g., “Java programming ability preferred but not required”) Include key common activities but avoid long laundry lists that may dissuade people from applying Use language that invites people with diverse experiences and backgrounds to apply (e.g., “Military experience welcomed”) Minimize requirements that are not directly related to the performance of the job (e.g., college degree, 5 years of experience) Instead of emphasizing requirements, focus on the key competencies Minimizing requirements

Skills-based hiring offers three major benefits Why skills-based hiring helps Expanded applicant pool Many companies require a college degree to apply but only 30% of working-age Americans have a college degree Focusing on actual skills needed allows an additional 70% of the US working population to apply (e.g., veterans, workers with non-traditional training) An expanded talent pool reduces the time to fill a job, decreases wage pressure, and reduces hiring costs Attract better fit candidates By focusing on what’s critical and most important, this attracts candidates best suited to the given job Sharpen both hiring and training Emphasizing certain skills help job-seekers understand what they need to succeed in the position This increased insight helps to hire new and train current workers

A few key principles to consider as you move from traditional to skills-based job descriptions DO’S DON’TS Clearly distinguish what is "required" from what is "preferred" throughout the posting Minimize the number of “Required” competencies to include only those actually required, not ones that are "preferred" or "ideal" Limit experiential requirements (educational or professional) as those exclude large segments of the job-seeking population that may have the needed skills Be as succinct and concrete as possible; in general, less is more Have consistent formatting across job postings Include location, title and contact email on the posting to be included in job search websites such as Indeed and LinkedIn Do not explicitly or implicitly present capabilities or credentials (e.g., "5 years in an IT company") that are “nice to have” as requirements; instead, call such capabilities as "ideal but not necessary” Do not duplicate content in each section and throughout the overall posting Do not use language that might turn off or exclude certain populations, (e.g., "Our company is a traditional workplace", "Hard and tough people will thrive in this role") particularly in areas related to politics, gender and ethnicity 

Contents Skills-Based Hiring: An Introduction Skills-Based Hiring: Implementation Overview Example Skills-Based Job Postings

Creating Skills-based Job Postings: A four-step process Gather job posting Get Skillful template Customize posting Refine to company’s needs Phase: Key Activities: Gather job postings the company wants to make skills-based Visit skillful.com Under the “Employer” section, download the job posting template and deep dive guide most similar to your role If Skillful has a job posting template for the given role: Fill in and customize the Skillful template with particular emphasis on the “required” and “preferred” competencies and list of example activities If Skillful does not have a template for the given role: Go to onetonline.org to determine which O*NET occupation(s) are most similar to your company’s Use the data provided by O*NET, the current posting and company insights to customize the posting Meet with a hiring manager to refine the posting given their input Optional: Meet with current employee in the role to refine and tailor required skills Deliverable: Current job postings / description to be adapted Sample Skillful job posting template Customized, skills-based job posting Customized and vetted skills-based job posting Deep dive guide to mapping O*NET fields follows

Job Summary and Responsibilities Required Certifications O*NET’s occupation description fields map to Skillful’s template fields Skillful Job Posting Template Fields O*NET Fields Job Summary and Responsibilities “Job Summary” Required Competencies “Knowledge” / “Abilities” Occupational Competencies “Skills” Foundational Competencies Preferred Competencies “Knowledge” / “Abilities” Occupational Competencies “Skills” Foundational Competencies “Tasks” Example Activities “Find Certifications” Required Certifications

For 10 roles in IT and Advanced Manufacturing, Skillful has already created job posting templates Deep dive guides IT: Top 10 Roles Manufacturing: Top 10 Roles 1 Software Developers 1 Quality Control Inspectors 2 Computer Systems Analysts 2 Machinists 3 Computer User Support Specialists 3 Computer-Controlled Tool Operators 4 Business Intelligence Analysts 4 Logistics Analyst 5 Network Systems Administrators 5 Electric and Electronics Repairers 6 Database Administrators 6 Industrial Engineering Technician 7 Computer Systems Engineers 7 CAD Drafter 8 Information Security Analysts 8 Manufacturing Production Technicians 9 Computer Network Architects 9 CNC Programmer Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers 10 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers 10 Click on icons in presentation mode to download files Visit www.skillful.com/employers to download these assets

Contents Skills-Based Hiring: An Introduction Skills-Based Hiring: Implementation Overview Example Skills-Based Job Postings

Level 4 HVAC Service Technician Skills-Based Job Posting Examples (1/4) Level 4 HVAC Service Technician

Skills-Based Job Posting Examples (2/4) Service Coordinator

Skills-Based Job Posting Examples (3/4) Quality Manager

Skills-Based Job Posting Examples (4/4) Business Analyst