Hirevue, a leader in skills-based hiring, has unveiled its latest research report in collaboration with Aptitude Research, titled “A New Conversation on Skills.” The findings expose a critical gap between the enthusiasm for skills-first hiring practices and companies’ abilities to implement them effectively. Despite growing awareness, many organizations continue to default to outdated hiring strategies like resume screening, facing challenges in validating real candidate skills.
Findings from the Report
-
Survey Base: Insights were gathered from 418 HR and talent acquisition leaders across diverse industries, all representing companies with over 2,500 employees.
-
Core Concern: A disconnect between interest in skills-based hiring and its actual implementation.
-
Skills Fatigue: Many organizations express a desire to evolve but feel hindered by ineffective tools and lack of clarity.
Challenges in Operationalizing Skills-Based Hiring
-
Validation Struggles:
-
50% of companies report difficulties in validating candidate skills.
-
Many still rely on resumes despite their limitations.
-
-
Resume Dependency:
-
72% of companies continue to use resumes to infer skills.
-
Only 26% of leaders feel confident in their current hiring practices.
-
-
Inference vs. Validation:
-
72% of TA leaders prefer validated skills or distrust inference methods altogether.
-
The Impact of Moving Toward Validated Assessments
Companies that adopt validated assessments such as job simulations and skills-specific evaluations experience tangible benefits:
-
Improved Quality of Hire – Reported by 68% of such organizations.
-
Reduced Hiring Bias – Cited by 62% of companies that have moved away from resume-first approaches.
-
Increased Hiring Manager Satisfaction – 74% reported higher satisfaction levels post-implementation.
Expert Commentary
“Inferring skills from resumes isn’t enough. Validated assessments are the key to building fair and effective hiring strategies,”
– Madeline Laurano, Founder of Aptitude Research.
“Our multi-method model goes beyond resumes by measuring skills, motivations, interests, and traits at scale,”
– Dr. Mike Hudy, Chief Science Officer at Hirevue.
Webinar Announcement: “The Skills Reckoning”
Event Title: The Skills Reckoning: Why Inference Isn’t Enough
Speakers: Madeline Laurano & Dr. Mike Hudy
Date: May 17, 2025
Time: 12 PM ET
Purpose: To discuss findings from the research and offer actionable insights to HR and TA leaders.
The report underscores a clear mandate: to advance in today’s competitive hiring landscape, companies must shift from outdated, resume-based hiring to scientifically validated methods. The data supports this transition, demonstrating measurable improvements in hiring quality, fairness, and satisfaction when modern assessment techniques are applied.
