Dive Brief:
- A candidate's ability to learn may predict how they will do on the job, according to ERE Media. Commonly, recruiters evaluate candidates on past education instead of their capacity to learn new things. Multiple workforce studies have shown over and over again that when candidates can learn new skills, they can successfully outperform peers.
- The factors that come to play include rapid changes in industries that require ongoing comprehension of new concepts, innovation changes, the need for uniform learning for all team members, increased globalization and promotability. The ERE story mentions the Korn Ferry Institute study that found an individual with strong learning capabilities gained more promotions over a 10-year period than other workers.
- ERE provides 14 indicators that a candidate has learning capability that can be used by recruiters to assess candidates during an interview and outside the interview. Recruiters should keep this highly objective and, "never assume that candidates with advanced degrees, a high IQ, or great grades will automatically excel at learning," the article notes.
Dive Insight:
A candidate may present with an excellent track record of education and multiple career credentials, but this is not the primary way that recruiters can evaluate an individual's ability to learn. With job skills often becoming obsolete in just 18 months, past education doesn't predict future success. Recent studies revealed that 50% of employees believe that the skills they have now may be obsolete in the next 3 years.
This push toward hiring for "talent" rather than direct skills reflects an industry that is facing an influx of tech that requires an ever-changing set of skills. In a job seeker's talent market, finding talent that can adapt may be a better long-term investment than finding those who know the "skills of the moment."
