Dive Brief:

• Indeed is teaming up with Goodwill to help one million people find jobs over the next five years, according to Indeed.
• The partners will identify the job seekers through Indeed's online skills-based assessment tool and employer hiring events at Goodwill locations with event management provided by Indeed, the release said. Indeed and Goodwill will also help job seekers build resumes and conduct job searches online through Indeed's portal with the goal to remove more bias and barriers from the recruiting process, Indeed said. 
• "Together with Indeed, we believe we can help companies discover that their next great hire may not have a traditional background or career path, but that person has the skills and qualifications needed to make positive contributions," Steven C. Preston, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International, said in the release. "We have a great opportunity to bring our job seeker resources together to make a major impact on the trajectory of people's lives."

Dive Insight:

Thanks to the skills shortage and low unemployment, talent professionals have started to screen more candidates into their recruiting process. Rather than compete for the most ideal candidate from a small pool, some organizations are considering workers with the right potential instead, and helping them build the needed skills sets. Indeed and Goodwill's partnership seems aimed at finding quality candidates while still lowering barriers for those that might be overlooked for superficial factors, like not yet knowing how to format a resume.

With LinkedIn data indicating a slight dip in retail and consumer goods hiring between 2018 and 2019, providing resources for job seekers could help Goodwill appeal to more candidates in their search. The partnership may be an effective recruiting tool for Goodwill because it encompasses aspects of hiring parties and resume workshops, both of which talent pros have come to rely on more often in sourcing.

The partnership will also showcase Indeed's skills assessment tools. Indeed introduced Indeed Assessment in 2018, which allows recruiters to screen for skills that relate to job openings, rather than depend solely on resumes. Indeed said the platform eliminates bias in recruiting and automates the process to speed up time-to-hire and help recruiters make better hiring decisions. In March, Indeed announced a new feature that allows job seekers to add skills-based assessments results to their Indeed resumes, too. As recruiters compete for talent in all industries, they may continue to look to this kind of alternative skills credentialing — rather than to experience or a four-year degree — to source the right candidate in lieu of a dream candidate.